RWBY: The Cybertron Battles
by vecter convoy
Summary: After Optimus and Megatron's battle for the Omega Lock, Optimus sacrifices himself, killing Megatron in the process. However, after their battle, Optimus and Megatron find themselves in a strange new world filled with Grimm, Dust, and Huntresses. Now they must fight for their survival, as well as make some new friends along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

The Omega Lock: a device of great power, and in the wrong hands, it could spell certain doom. Right now, two titans, Optimus Prime and Megatron were locked in combat. They were both trying to gain control over the Omega Lock. However, Megatron wasn't faring so well.

"Not… Over!" he said as he walked through a wall of flames, clearly damaged from his fight with Optimus.

"By the All Spark!" Optimus shouted, surprised as to how his nemesis was still functioning.

"Never… Be… Over!" Megatron fell on his hands and knees, his body visibly shorting out.

Optimus knew hat he'd one for now as he picked up the omega lock.

"I have what I came for. I'm taking the Omega Lock back to Cybertron," Megatron slowly got up, determined not to lose to his long-time rival, "What happens next is up to you," Optimus said, showing mercy to his enemy.

Megatron then let out an evil chuckle.

"You still don't get it," he said as he fully rose to his feet. "You should have destroyed me when you had the chance, Optimus Prime. Before the armor of Unicron could restore me!"

Suddenly, Megatron's body burst into purple flames. He let out a mighty war cry as he activated his cyber key. A machine gun launched out off one of his 'wings' and into his hand.

"So you see, Optimus, you won't be leaving here with the Omega Lock. In fact, you won't be leaving here AT ALL!"

In response, Optimus activated his own cyber key.

"Somehow, I don't think you get it, Megatron!" Optimus said as the cockpit of Wing Saber's jet mode sprang up above his head and opened up, revealing a large cannon, "If I'm not leaving here with the Omega Lock, then neither are YOU!"

At the same time, Optimus and Megatron fired their weapons. Once the blasts collided, a massive explosion enveloped most of the area. As a result, a warp gate somehow opened, leading back to Cybertron.

"Optimus, get out of there, _NOW_!" Vector Prime shouted, not wanting his comrade to be trapped in Megatron's realm.

"Vector Prime, I want you to open a warp gate and seal Megatron's one with it!" Optimus shouted.

"But, both you _and_ Megatron will be destroyed!" Vector Prime tried to reason.

"That's and order Vector Prime. Now, take the Omega Lock and open a warp gate!"

Optimus then threw the Omega Lock to his friend.

"No, I won't let you!" Megatron tried flying after it but was grabbed from behind by Optimus.

"Now, do it now!" Optimus demanded.

Knowing Optimus wouldn't take now for an answer, Vector Prime summoned his own warp gate, causing it to cancel out the other one.

"It's over Megatron!" Optimus declared to his foe.

The would-be tyrant tried breaking free of Optimus' grip, but it was to no avail. Optimus then had Wing Saber detach from his back and pushed him out of the warp gate.

"No, it's never over!" Megatron shouted, refusing to be defeated.

"Goodbye… Megatron." As the two warp gates closed, the last thing the Autobots and Decepticons saw was their leaders being torn apart.

(Outskirts of Beacon Academy)

Optimus put his hand on his head as he slowly sat up.

"Ugh, what happened." Before he could recover, he was met with face to fist as he was sent flying into a tree. "Ack, what the…" As Optimus looked up, he saw something, or rather someone, he never hoped to see again. "M-Megatron! Is that you!"

However, instead of seeing a hulking titan, Optimus saw a human. He was wearing dark blue jeans, with a black shirt and dark green jacket. His hair was blue and purple, with a crown on his head in the shape of two purple horns. What really convinced Optimus that this was his nemesis was the symbol on his shirt. It was the Decepticon insignia.

"Prime, what in the Inferno is going on! One minute, I'm was about to destroy you. Then, I wake up and find myself in this _disgusting_ human body back on Earth!" Megatron shouted.

Optimus rose to his feet, a mixed look of confusion and anger on his face.

"Ok, one: you weren't even _close_ to destroying me. Second: I'm just as confused as you are," Optimus argued.

Prime then walked over to a nearby pond, curious as to what he looked like as a human. He bent over and saw a young human, with light blue hair, a red jacket with a black shirt, light blue jeans, and a faceplate over his mouth. He, too, had his insignia on his shirt. However, before Optimus could continue admiring himself, Megatron grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him closer to him.

"Listen, Prime! We're stranded on Earth _AGAIN_ and I want answers. Now, you will talk, or I'll rip out your core processor and extract the information personally!"

Optimus then pushed Megatron away, giving him a glare of defiance.

"No, you listen," Optimus said. But before he could continue, he and Megatron heard a noise in he bushes. "Who's there?" Optimus questioned, still doubting he'd get a response.

"Show yourself," Megatron demanded.

Suddenly, a large creature resembling a wolf emerged from the bushes. It stood above Optimus and Megatron on its back legs. It was all black, like a shadow, ad its head resembled a skull with red markings on it.

"What is that thing?" Optimus asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care. I just want to kill it!" Megatron shouted as he charged towards the creature.

"Megatron, wait!" Optimus tried to get his attention, but he had already engaged the beast.

Before Megatron could strike, the wolf creature backhanded him, causing him to hit a tree.

"Alright, I can play dirty too!" Megatron's eyes then glowed red as a purple sword materialized out of thin air into his hand.

Optimus watched in awe as Megatron sliced off the wolf's forelegs, causing it to howl in pain. He then checked to see if he had any weapons on him. He felt his back and noticed a large sword in its sheath strapped around his shoulder. He pulled the sword out, revealing itself to be similar to one of Wing Saber's swords.

"Let's finish this!" Optimus shouted as he charged towards the wolf.

He slashed his sword upwards, slicing open the beast's stomach. As the creature fell to the ground, Optimus put his sword over his shoulder.

Megatron then reached out to the beast's head, wanting a closer look at it, but it's body evaporated before he could do so.

"What?" Megatron questioned, clearly confused.

"Uh, Megatron…" Optimus said, trying to get the attention of his nemesis.

"What do you want, Prime," Megatron then turned his head to where Optimus was looking.

In the distance from the cliff they were on, Optimus and Megatron could see a large building. It was like a castle, but not quite. A multitude of people were gathering at the front and going inside. Megatron then looked to his left and saw a few large aircrafts heading towards the building.

"What is this place?" Megatron asked.

"I don't know," Optimus replied, "but wherever we are, I have a feeling that it's not Earth."

Optimus was right. Although this place was similar to Earth, there were more differences. Now, Optimus and Megatron were stuck in the world of Remnant, a world of monsters and magic. Well, it's _almost_ magic. They'll soon find out that this world is more to them than meets the eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

The Shining Beacon

Optimus and Megatron looked to the castle-like building. While Cybertron had much larger structures, this one was still impressive to them.

"Well, you said you wanted answers," Optimus said, his voice sounding a bit more upbeat, "this place is our best bet."

Prime then jumped down the cliff they were on. Luckily, it was angled at a slope, so he had no trouble sliding down.

"Argh, I can't believe I have to actually _interact_ with the humans!" Megatron said in disgust as he followed Optimus.

Once they reached the bottom, Optimus was amazed at how many people were all here. What intrigued him the most was that some people had, how should I say, animalistic features.

"Nope, definitely not Earth," Optimus concluded.

But while he was intrigued, Megatron was disgusted.

"Eugh, so many fleshlings here. I hate this place already."

Optimus scoffed at his nemesis, "Look, if you want answers, then you're going to have to deal with it. Got it?"

Megatron began to grind his teeth.

"You don't command me, Prime. I'm not one of your petty followers."

Optimus then clenched his fists, "Don't talk about my friends that way."

Megatron got up closer in Optimus' face, "Make me!"

However, their argument was interrupted by an explosion! Optimus started to go towards the source of the explosion, but he stopped, looked back at Megatron, and said, "This isn't over."

Megatron only frowned and started walking.

Once Optimus found the source, he saw two girls. One of them was wearing black and red, with a bright red cape around her neck and a mechanical device wrapped around her waist. The other girl was dressed all in white. She had her heir in a ponytail, with a white dress and multiple suitcases. Right now, the girl in white seemed to be scolding the other girl, who had guilt written all over her face. Not only that, but the girl in white was covered in soot!

"Unbelievable!" the girl in white said as the soot fell off her, "this is the kind of thing I was talking about!" The girl in red started to look even more guilty.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry," she said.

However, the other girl wasn't accepting her apology.

"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even _doing_ here. Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon!"

This was when Optimus intervened.

"Hey," he said as he got between the white and red girls, "leave her alone! Whatever she did, she's already apologized for it!"

The white dressed girl only got angrier.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! I don't deserve this!" she argued. Optimus clenched his fists. He's had plenty of soldiers who've been rude, but she was something else! "This isn't your ordinary combat school! We're here to fight monsters, and if _she_ can't even watch where she's going, she can just leave."

Optimus was getting angry now.

"Well I'm sorry, but things won't always go your way! Now leave her alone. She's done nothing wrong to you"

The girl then got up in his face. "Oh, says you!" she shouted.

Optimus then made his retort.

"That's right, says me, you wanna question me one more time _princess!_ " He said as he then gently pushed her shoulder with his two fingers.

Before she could respond, another girl, wearing mostly black with a large bow in her hair, stepped in.

"It's heiress, actually," she explained, "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

She'd lost Optimus at 'Dust.'

"Finally, some recognition!" the girl, known as Weiss, said proudly.

However, her pride was drained once the girl with the bow started talking again.

"The same company _infamous_ for its controversial labor forces and _questionable_ business partners," the girl ith the bow insulted.

Weiss was so furious that she couldn't even make a retort. Meanwhile, both the girl with the cape and Optimus couldn't help but laugh as Weiss stormed off.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" the girl in red shouted to Weiss, who completely ignored her.

"I wouldn't bother," Optimus said.

The girl in red only sighed and said, "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day," She then looked at Optimus with a half-smile on her face, "Thanks for helping me out. I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose," she said as she extended her hand towards Optimus for a handshake.

Optimus shook her hand and said, "I'm Optimus Prime, nice to meet you."

Ruby then looked at the symbol on Optimus' shirt, curious as to what it was. Before she could ask, she heard a voice not far off in the distance.

"We've only been her for five seconds and already you've made friends."

It was Megatron. Ruby smiled and waved at him, but Optimus glared daggers at him.

"Hmph, how repulsive," Megatron said, causing Ruby's smile to fade.

She then looked to her right to see if the girl with the bow was still there. To her dismay, she'd already walked off.

"Excuse him, Ruby," Optimus said, trying to cheer Ruby up, "you could say he's not a people person."

Megatron scoffed as he turned away from them.

"So," Ruby said, clearing the air, "are you guys here to be hunters, like me. Oh, of course you are, why else would… (Sigh) In case it wasn't obvious, I'm not good at talking to new people."

Optimus chuckled at her and said, "It's alright, I understand."

Ruby then looked at Megatron, who was looking over the school building.

"Who's your friend," she asked.

"That's Megatron, and we're not friends."

Ruby rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face, "Yeah, I could tell. I mean, he was kinda rude to us."

Optimus was still glaring at his nemesis.

"Ruby, it's not that Megatron and I don't get along. It's that we've been _enemies_ for the longest time," Prime said.

Ruby was taken back by this.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll sort things out."

Optimus sighed, "I only hope so."

(Later)

Optimus and Ruby had spent a few minutes walking and getting to know each other, while Megatron went elsewhere.

"Ok, let me get this straight, you and Megatron are from an island that's nowhere on _any_ map, and the only reason you two, who are enemies, are here together is because you're the best warriors where you're from and because your friends want your rivalry to end?"

Optimus chuckled a bit, "Yeah, that about sums it up."

He told Ruby that he and Megatron were from a hidden island who's ready to make themselves known to the world and that he and Megatron were leaders of two clans on the Islands: the Autobots and Decepticons.

"Hey, Optimus," Ruby asked, "why'd you help me back there?"

Optimus put his hands behind his head as they continued walking.

"Well, let's just say it's what I do," he responded vaguely.

While Ruby thought she'd gotten some answers from her new friend, she was growing a bit suspicious about him.

"So, any idea where we're going?" Ruby finally asked, making Optimus realize that they were lost.

"No, I was following you. You don't know where a map is anywhere, do you?"

Ruby snickered at her new friend.

"No? Nothing? Well, that's just Prime."

(Later Again)

Finally, Optimus and Ruby found the entrance to the main hall. The room was packed to the brim with new students.

'I wonder what all the fuss is?' Optimus thought to himself.

Suddenly, a voice familiar to Ruby got their attention.

"Ruby over here!" a girl with long, blonde hair shouted.

Optimus looked at the girl, assuming she and Ruby were friends.

"I saved you a spot!"

Ruby perked up a bit, excited to see this girl.

"Oh, hey I gotta go. See you after the ceremony!"

Optimus waved at her as she walked off. However, while Ruby was joining up with a friend, Optimus wasn't so lucky as he bumped into someone.

"Ack, watch where you're going you little… Oh… it's you."

Optimus got up to his feet, clearly just as mad as the one he bumped into.

"I was hoping you'd get lost Megatron." Optimus said, frustration in his voice.

"Tch, well _I_ was hoping you and your friend would've gotten eaten by one of those creatures," Megatron spat.

Meanwhile, Ruby was busy chatting with the yellow haired girl from before.

"How's your first day goin' little sister?" Ruby's now established sibling, Yang, asked.

"You mean since you _ditched me,_ and I _exploded_!" Ruby said in annoyance.

"Yikes, meltdown already?" Yang asked surprisingly.

"No, I _literally_ exploded a hole in front of the school! And there was some fire, a-and I think some ice?" Yang was still skeptical.

"Are you being sarcastic?" she asked with aa smirk on her face.

Ruby scoffed, "I wish! I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me! And then I sneezed, and then I _EXPLODED_ , and then she yelled again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me."

But before Ruby could bring up Optimus, she was startled by an unpleasantly familiar voice.

"YOU!" Ruby the jumped into her sister's arms.

" _Oh, god it's happening again!_ " Ruby shouted.

It was Weiss Schnee again.

"You're lucky we didn't get blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss scolded.

Yang then realized that her baby sister was for real.

"Oh my god, you really exploded!" Yang said.

Weiss was getting angrier by the second.

"And don't even get me started on that boy with the silver mask who talked me down!" Weiss said, finally addressing the semi in the room.

"Boy? You haven't been here for a day, and you've already got a boyfriend?" Yang said with a devilish smirk.

"It's not like that!" Ruby defended as she got out of Yang's arms.

Weiss then held up a pamphlet to Ruby's face.

"What's this?" Ruby asked.

"The Schnee Dust Company is _not_ responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to familiarize themselves with this easy-to-follow guide to Dust application and practice in the field." Weiss' voice seemed to get faster while she was talking.

"Uh…" was all Ruby could say.

"You really want to start making things up to me?" Weiss said spitefully.

"Absolutely!" Ruby said, hoping Weiss would accept that answer.

"Read this and don't _ever_ speak to me again!" Weiss said, clearly not wanting to hear what Ruby had to say.

Yang then intervened, "Look, uh, it sounds like you too got off on the wrong foot! Why don't you start over and try to be friends, ok?"

Ruby then stuck out her arm for a handshake.

"Great idea sis. (Ahem) Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out, we could go shopping for school supplies?"

Weiss then responded with obvious sarcasm in her voice, "Yeah, and we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, dark, and scary over there."

Weiss then pointed over to Megatron, who tried his best to ignore the three, seeing as how he was in an argument with Optimus _again_!

"Oh wow, really?" Ruby asked with enthusiasm, clearly buying into Weiss' sass.

She waited a moment with a frown on her face before saying, "No," and turned away from Ruby and Yang, leaving Ruby's head hung low.

Back with Optimus, he and Megatron were still in another argument. Let's see what it is this time.

"What do you mean, 'tacky,' my faceplate makes perfect sense in battle!" Optimus argued.

Oh, it's about their clothing choices, joy.

"What about when you're _not fighting,_ Prime. Seems pretty useless if you ask me," Megatron retorted.

"Says the guy with two horns on his head! They look ridiculous!" Optimus continued.

Megatron grunted as he clenched his fists.

"You _really_ want me to kill you right now, don't you?" Megatron asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.

"Let's take it outside, then!" Optimus said, accepting his foe's challenge.

However, their argument was cut short when they heard the microphone going off. There was a man on stage, with a black suit, a green scarf, glasses, and grey hair.

"I'll… keep this brief," he said. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Megatron laughed once at that statement.

"Like I'd protect these fleshlings," he said, only further angering Optimus.

"But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction."

Now Megatron was mad.

"No one talks about _me_ that way," he said under his breath.

Just as he was about to prove the old man wrong, Optimus grabbed his arm and gave him a glare that just said, "don't." Megatron, though unwilling, complied.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this," the man continued, "but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to _you_ to take the first step."

The mans words intrigued both Optimus and Ruby.

As the man left the stage, a woman in black and white with a purple cape stepped forth and said, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed."

This caused Optimus to wonder, what did she mean by initiation?

'Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow,' he thought.

Back with Ruby and the others, Yang couldn't help but feel, unnerved at the man's speech.

"He seemed kind of, off," Yang said, "It's almost like he wasn't even there!"

Yang then noticed the two guys that Weiss pointed to walking towards them.

"Hey, sis, here comes your friend!" Yang whispered to her sister.

"Hey, Ruby," Optimus greeted as he waved to his new friend.

"Oh, hey Optimus! Meet Yang, my older sister!" Yang smiled and greeted him with a "Yo."

Optimus nodded in response. Meanwhile, Megatron just looked away, coldhearted as ever. However, that didn't stop Yang from greeting him.

"Hey there, tall, buff, and intimidating. The name's Yang, and you?" Megatron, who was almost a head taller than Yang, looked down on her with his dark, red eyes with a look that said, 'leave now or die!' Yang backed off a bit. "Ok, jeez. Sorry I asked."

(The Ballroom: Night Time)

Later that night, all the students had gathered at the ballroom, just as the woman, whose name was Glynda Goodwitch, instructed. Optimus and Megatron obviously didn't have any luggage or sleeping bags for that matter. Luckily for them, there were some spare sleeping bags and pillows in case anyone forgot their stuff. Of course, being the stubborn, hard-headed rivals, they are, they both chose spots on opposite ends of the room. But, Optimus wanted to keep an eye on Megatron, so he stayed where he could see him. He was also not to far from where Ruby and Yang were set up. He looked away from Megatron for a bit to see what the two siblings were up to. They were currently talking about something. Granted Optimus didn't know what their conversation was about, but he knew they were having fun. Well, until Ruby threw a pillow at Yang's face.

"Huh, maybe I'll get more things than answers here," Optimus said to himself.

But, Optimus' brief moment of happiness was cut short when he noticed that Megatron was missing!

'What!?' he thought, clearly worried as to where his nemesis went off to.

He looked around the whole room, but he couldn't see him. Just then, Optimus heard Yang say something, something like a greeting. He looked over to the two siblings and saw that Megatron was walking towards them!

"Ah, slag," he said under his breath.

He was about to get up, but he noticed something off about Megatron; he was smiling! Not only that, bu he began to have a conversation with Ruby and Yang!

"What are you planning Megatron?"

"So, you still haven't answered my question from earlier, pal," Yang said to Megatron, still curious about him.

Megatron sat down with a smirk on his face and said, "I'm sorry, you caught me in a bad mood. My name is Megatron."

Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Megatron, huh? What kind of name is that?" She asked.

"You could say I'm not from around here," he said, his eyes dimly glowing red.

Yup, Megs was up to something alright.

"Hey, what's up with your eyes?" Ruby asked.

"What about them?" Megatron asked back, getting slightly annoyed by their questions.

"Your iris is all red, but the rest of your eye around it is all black. What are you, some kind of demon" Yang added.

While she was, of course, joking, Megatron was _not_ amused.

"No," he said, a stern look on his face.

There was an awkward silence for aa bit. Luckily, Ruby was able to break the ice.

"So, um, why do you and Optimus fight so much?" she asked.

Megatron then began to laugh, making Ruby and Yang confused.

"Ah, if you only knew the half of it," he said.

"Can you tell us the half of it?" Yang asked, smirking.

"Hmm, maybe another time. For now, it's time I leave," Megatron said as he walked back to his sleeping bag.

"See ya 'round," Yang said, hoping just a little bit that they'd meet again.

Ruby was still curious as to what he and Optimus always fight over, but for now, it was time to sleep. Hopefully, Optimus and Megatron are prepared for tomorrow's initiation.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Point A to Point B

Part 1

Another day, another fight between Prime and Megs.

"You're up to something, Megatron. Now, talk!" Optimus demanded to his enemy.

"Back off, Prime. Can't a guy just have a little chat with a couple of friends?" Megatron replied with an evil smirk.

"Megatron, I swear, I will transform into my _Super Mode_ and blast you all the way back to _Cybertron_!" Optimus spat as the two walked off to initiations, still arguing as they did.

"I wonder what those two are so worked up about?" Ruby said, as she overheard Optimus and Megatron's argument.

"Who knows," Yang replied, "so, you seem awfully chipper this morning." Ruby chuckled.

"Yup, no more small talk or getting to know you stuff. Today, I get to let my _sweetheart_ do the talking." Ruby then began to caress her weapon.

It was a scythe/gun that could fold in on itself for easy storage.

"Well, remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you want to grow up, you need too meet new people and learn to work together, like Optimus!" Yang said to which Ruby let out a hard sigh.

"Ugh, you sound like dad! First of all, what does _meeting people_ have to do with fighting? And second, I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink milk!" she said proudly as she crossed her arms.

"But what about when we form teams? I mean, it's not like you haven't made friends already. You could join up with Optimus!" Yang suggested.

Ruby, however, was still a bit nervous.

"Oh, I don't know, I was hoping I could be on your team," she said.

Yang just rolled her eyes.

"What's so bad about being on the same team as Optimus or Megatron?" Yang asked as she held her hair in her hands.

"My dearest sister, Yang. Are you implying that you don't want to be on the same team as me!?" Ruby said skeptically.

Yang put her hands up in defense and reasoned, "What, no. I just thought that you might want to get to know Optimus and Megatron better. I mean, they're the only friends you've made here from what I know."

Ruby let out a harder sigh than before.

(…)

"Ugh, honestly, Prime, why do we need to go through with these 'initiations.' Why not just _slag_ the place and take what we want?" Megatron suggested.

Optimus then pinned him up against the wall, a fire in his eyes.

"You listen here, Megatron! You will _not_ harm _anyone_ here. Not while I'm still standing. You've done enough damage over the years, what with the Minicon Wars and the countless planets you've destroyed when _Unicron_ was under your control!" Optimus then let go of his nemesis.

"Besides," he continued, "we're here as robots in disguise, so unless you want to start a war between _you_ and the _entire planet_ , I suggest you follow the rules like everyone else! Got it!?"

Megatron grunted in response, with a scowl on his face and his eyes glowing more red than usual. He then swung his fist at Optimus, not willing to tolerate anything else he had to say. Luckily, Optimus saw it coming as he grabbed Megatron's fist and threw him over his shoulder.

"Stay _DOWN_!" Optimus commanded as he began to walk outside.

He then heard what sounded like a mass of electricity charging.

"Don't do this Megatron," Optimus said, not wanting to fight.

"You said we should take this outside yesterday, so hear we are," Megatron challenged as lightning formed around his hands.

Optimus turned around and stared down his long-time foe.

"Then so be it."

Optimus pulled out his sword and took a fighting stance while Megatron charged up his electricity attack. Little did the two know that both Ruby and Yang were watching them fight. Optimus tightened his grip on his sword as he made a 'come at me' motion with his hand. Megatron them charged at Optimus, lightning in hand. He leapt in the air and aimed his hand towards his enemy as electricity shot forth from it! Optimus managed to roll out of the way, causing the electricity to blow a hole in the ground. As Megatron fell back to the ground he pointed his foot at Optimus, intend ing to hit him. Not fully on his feet yet, Megatron kicked him in the face, sending him flying into a nearby pillar. Optimus recovered just in time as he dodged Megatron's fist, which hit the pillar so hard that it crumbled on impact. Ruby and Yang were amazed at just how powerful Megatron was.

Optimus managed to get the drop on him as he slashed his sword, cutting his cheek.

"Argh, you're dead, Prime!" Megatron shouted, hate in his voice.

"Not likely!" Optimus shouted back.

Optimus raised his arm in the air, preparing to strike, but Megatron kicked his sword away, disarming him.

"There, now we're even!" Megatron claimed as he pulled his arm back, getting ready to punch Optimus.

Optimus did the same. Their two fists collided, causing the earth to shake beneath them! Lightning surged from between their fists, forcing Ruby and Yang to take cover.

"Who _are_ these guys!" Yang questioned in amazement.

Optimus and Megatron then locked hands as they began to push against each other.

"Yield Megatron, it's over!" Optimus said as he pushed as hard as he could.

"Megatron does not yield," Electricity then formed around Megatron's hands, " _HE CONQUERS!_ "

The electricity then surged through Optimus' body, causing him to scream in pain. Optimus fell to the ground, smoke coming off his body from the lightning. Megatron walked up to him, panting from exhaustion. Optimus closed his eyes, expecting Megatron to destroy him, but it never came. Instead, Megatron extended his hand out to Optimus, making him confused.

"What are you doing?" Prime asked, "you'd won!"

Megatron gave him a stern look.

"No… This is neither the time _nor_ the place."

Megatron then pulled Optimus to his feet, a smug look on his face.

"But you are right, Prime… I won." Megatron gloated as he walked away, leaving Optimus in silence.

However, the silence was broken by a girly squeal behind Optimus.

"Ruby? What…" Before Optimus could finish, Ruby began talking a million miles a minute at him.

" _OH MY GOSH THAT WAS SO COOL! WHAT WITH THE SWORDS AND ELECTRICITY AND THE PUNCHING AND THE FLYING AAAAAAHHH!_ " she squealed.

Optimus then put his hand on Ruby's shoulder to try and calm her down.

"Settle down Ruby. (Sigh) now you know what I mean by ' _Megatron and I are sworn enemies_!'" Optimus said, quoting what he said about Megatron and himself before.

"Man, you two just can't get along, can you?" Yang asked.

She then looked to Megatron and shouted, "Hey, Megs!"

Megatron only cringed at both her voice and the nickname. "You're going the wrong way, dummy! Come with us, we know where to go!" Megatron let out a hard sigh as he turned back and walked to Yang and the others. As he walked pass Optimus he whispered in his ear, "This is _far_ from over, Prime." Optimus shot a menacing glare at him in response.

(Later)

Optimus, Ruby, Yang, and Megatron all made their way to initiations, finally. There were six other people there with them. Two of them being Weiss and the girl with the bow, whom Ruby and Yang talked to last night. Her name was Blake Belladonna. The other four, they were strangers. One was a bright and cheerful girl, with orange hair, a black jacket, and a shirt with a heart on it. The second was a young man with what looked to be old, Japanese-style clothing with a pink line through his hair. The third was another girl, taller than the other one. She was wearing armor similar to that of a knight's, with a spear and shield in hand, and her red hair in a ponytail. The last one was a young, blonde guy who was also wearing armor like a knight's, only it wasn't covering his entire body. Finally, Glynda, and the man from the stage, Professor Ozpin, came up to the hill where everyone was standing on separate platforms.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors," Ozpin began, "and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forrest."

Then, Glynda spoke up.

"Now, I'm sure _many_ of you have heard rumors of the assignment of _teams,_ " she said, catching Megatron's attention.

'Teams? Tch, like I need anyone to hold me back,' Megatron thought.

"Well," she spoke back up, "Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… _Today_!"

Ruby's smile faded.

"What!?" she said, not prepared for what just happened.

Optimus, on the other hand, was slightly concerned.

'Well, as long as it's not with that Schnee girl,' he thought.

Ozpin then spoke again, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well with."

Ruby was growing more nervous.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be you partner for the next _four years,_ " Ozpin continued.

Ruby's life basically shattered once Ozpin said that.

" _WHAT!?_ " She shouted, growing fearful of whom she would be partnered with.

"Make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin instructed, "you will meet opposition along the way. Do _not_ hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will _die_!"

Megatron perked up at this. He formed an ear-to-ear grin and started laughing maniacally, catching everyone's attention.

"Ah, slag," Optimus said under his breath.

"Is there something you'd like to share with us?" Ozpin asked, wanting to know why he was interrupted.

"Hahaha, you don't know how long I've waited to hear those words!" Megatron said as his eyes began to glow bright red and a toothy grin increased on his face.

His teeth were like a shark's, frightening the blonde one.

"Um, what's with your teeth? And… uh… your eyes?" the blonde boy asked.

Megatron chuckled at him, "Oh, you'll find out soon enough!"

Ozpin cleared his throat and gave further instructions, "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But, our instructors will _not_ intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose _one_ and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately."

"All too easy," Megatron said, confident that he would succeed.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked.

The blonde one then raised his hand and said, "Yeah, um, sir?"

However, Ozpin ignored him.

" _Good_! Now take your positions!" Everyone took a ready stance, prepared for what happened next. Although, the blond guy still wanted to ask his question.

"Uhm, sir, I've got a question…" the blonde kid continued.

Suddenly, Weiss was shot into the air by the platform she was standing on, followed by the other students.

"So, this landing strategy thing, uh, w-what is it?" Ozpin just continued to ignore him, "What is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

Ozpin remained in a serious manner as he answered.

"No," he said, "you _will_ be falling." Another student then catapulted.

"Oh, I see. So, did you, like, hand out parachuted for us?" he asked, desperately hoping the answer was yes.

"No," Ozpin said again, "you will be using your own landing strategy."

The blonde one was growing more nervous as Optimus and Megatron catapulted. Yang winked at her sister, put on her shades, and was catapulted herself, with Ruby not far behind.

"So, um, what exactly is a landing strate…" before he was finished, he was catapulted into the air, screaming as he fell.

Ozpin then took a sip of his drink as he watched the students fall into the forest.

(...)

As Optimus fell back to the ground, he noticed an empty patch of land in the trees and aimed for there.

"Alright, here goes!" he shouted as he plummeted down to earth. He landed on both feet, creating a small crated beneath him.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," he said, "now, time to find that relic. _And_ a new partner along the way."

Optimus began running forward, hoping his partner would be someone pleasant. To his dismay, Optimus crashed into someone he was hoping would get lost.

"Ack, get off me you moron!" the other guy said as he pushed Optimus off him, "Now, who…"

He then turned white as he saw that it was Optimus that crashed into him.

"Oh… Primus… Why?" the guy said.

As Optimus recovered, he, too, went white as his whole world fell around him. They stared at each other with both hate and surprise.

Finally, Optimus said ever so subtly, " _SON OF A…_ "

(...)

The blonde kid was currently screaming as he fell to what he thought was his doom. Luckily, the red-haired girl was there to help. Once she landed, she threw her spear in the direction the blonde one fell, causing him to be pinned to a tree.

"Thank you!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry!" the girl shouted back. Once Ruby landed, she was determined to find her older sister.

'Gotta find Yang,' she thought, 'Gotta find Yang gotta find Yang gotta fiiiind…'

She than began shouting for her big sis, "Yang! Yang!"

She began to think again, 'Oh, this is bad, this is _really_ bad! What if I can't find her!? What if someone finds her first!? There's always Optimus, he's nice, protective, but I think he'd be too distracted with Megatron. Megatron's too mean, and I think he'd prefer going solo. Oh, what about Blake? So mysterious, so calm. Plus, she likes books! Then again, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her. Ugh, ok, who else do I know in this school?'

Optimus wasn't the only one having trouble with his partner. Ruby skidded to a halt when she saw a familiar, white-haired girl in her path. Ruby smiled at Weiss, but Weiss just walked away.

"Wait, where are you going!?" Ruby asked, "we're supposed to be teammates." As Weiss walked away, she heard the blonde kid trying to dislodge a spear from his shirt and the tree. He chuckled nervously as Weiss walked back to Ruby.

"By _no means_ does this make us friends," she said as she pulled Ruby by the cape.

"You came back!" Ruby shouted with glee.

'Hey wait, come back! Who's gonna get me down from here!?" the blonde one shouted.

He looked down when he heard a familiar voice.

"Jaune?" It was the red-haired girl, Pyrrha, "do you have any spots left on your team?" she asked.

"Very funny," Jaune said.

However, his frustration went away in a few seconds as the two smiled at each other. Back with Optimus and Megatron, they were busy trying to keep themselves from _killing_ each other. They were doing poorly.

"Argh, I can't believe I'm stuck with you for the next _FOUR YEARS_!" Megatron complained.

"I hate this as much as you do, but if we want to blend in, then we _have_ to follow the rules!" Prime argued.

Suddenly, an eerie feeling filled the air.

"Do you sense that, Prime?" Megatron asked as he came to a stop.

"Yeah, it feels like, darkness!" Optimus suspected.

The two came back to back as they pulled out their weapons. Prime looked to his left (Megatron's right) as they heard a sort of clicking sound. In the bushes, they saw a strange, spherical creature. It resembled an Earth creature called a Jellyfish, only this _thing_ had spikes on its tentacles and a glowing red orb for a body. Just as Megatron took a step forward, the creature faded into the darkness as two more creatures came out of the shadows. Instead of wolves, these creatures looked like _bears_!

"Megatron," Optimus said.

"Yes, Prime?" Megatron responded.

"Now's your chance to destroy everything in your path."

Megatron's ear-to-ear grin reappeared as his energy sword increased in size. It was five times its previous size.

"I've been waiting all day for this!" Megatron said enthusiastically as he swiftly dashed behind one of the bears.

He was moving so fast; the human eye couldn't keep up with him! Luckily, Optimus wasn't an ordinary human at this point. Megatron slashed his sword upwards behind the bear, slicing it in two. As its body disappeared, the other bear raised its paw, about to strike. Optimus then dashed towards the beast, slicing off its head!

"What in the name of Primus is this strange world!?" Megatron asked, demanding an answer.

"We'll get answers eventually, just be patient," Optimus said in response.

Megatron then pointed his sword at Optimus' throat.

"Patience is a triviality I do not desire! I wish to have my answers as soon as possible, or else!" he threatened

Their argument was cut short, thankfully, when a large shadow flew above them. As they looked up, they were surprised, to say the least, at the sight before them. A massive bird, about the size of Optimus in his robot mode, was circling above them.

The bird looked down on them, and with a loud screech, caused them to simultaneously say, "run!"

And run they did, with the bird not far behind. After several minutes of running, the bird gave up and flew away. Optimus and Megatron were exhausted. As they recovered, they saw what looked like ancient ruins.

"This must be the place!" Optimus said as the two stepped into the fallen temple.

Around them were several pillars, each with a large chess piece resting on them.

"This is what all the fuss is about?" Megatron questioned.

However, Optimus was not as dissatisfied. Rather, he was curious. He picked up the white king chess piece, observing it carefully.

"I assume _that's_ the relic we're taking back?" Megatron asked.

"Hmm, why not?" Optimus said.

Well, can't argue with _that_ logic. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. Optimus and Megatron readied their weapons, prepared to fight again. Megatron could make out two, humanoid figures in the trees. Once one of them stepped out, Megatron increased the length of his sword and pointed it at their supposed enemy, who was still six meters away.

"Hey, watch it!" the figure said as she raised her hands in the air.

"Yang?" Optimus said, confirming who it was.

"Duh," she responded as Megatron lowered his sword.

The other girl then cleared her throat, trying to get their attention.

"Oh, right. Optimus, Megs, this is Blake!" Yang said.

"Hey, I know you," Optimus said, pointing out Blake, "You're that girl from yesterday that caused that Weiss girl to storm off."

Blake nodded in response.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Megatron asked.

"Not really," Blake responded.

"Good." Megatron sneered.

Yang then dashed up to Megatron, a devilish smile on her face.

"Hey Megs, how's it goin'," she asked.

Megatron scowled at her as his eyes began to glow red again.

"My name is _Megatron_ ," he said sternly.

Yang backed off slightly, but she wasn't as intimidated by his as before.

"You need to lighten up a bit," Yang said as she lightly punched Megatron's arm.

He wasn't amused.

"Ah, don't bother," Optimus said, "if I know one thing about Megatron, it's that he's extremely stubborn."

Before the four of them could continue their conversation, they were interrupted by a high-pitched screaming in the distance!

"Someone's in trouble!" Optimus said, preparing to follow the source of the scream.

"Oh, come on Prime, we have what we came for, why do we have to help," Megatron scoffed.

Optimus glared fiercely at his nemesis.

"How can you just stand by while others need help!?" Optimus shouted.

"Uh, guys?" Blake said, trying to get their attention.

Optimus and Megatron were too busy arguing to acknowledge her.

"You _dare_ to lecture the future _ruler of the UNIVERSE_!? You think you're my equal, but you _NEVER WILL BE!_ " Megatron shouted back.

" _Guys?"_ Blake said again, still trying to get their attention.

"You're right Megatron, I'd never stoop down low enough to be _YOUR EQUAL_!"

Yang then decided to intervene.

"Can you two just _CHILL OUT_!" she shouted as she got in between the two, her eyes turning red.

"Blake's trying to speak!" Yang said, her eyes going back to purple.

"Sorry," Optimus apologized, "Blake, what were you saying?"

Blake merely pointed upward as a familiar face plummeted towards them.

"Ruby!?" Optimus said, surprised to see her falling from miles in the air.

" _HEADS UP!"_ Ruby shouted as she fell.

"Ah, slag," Optimus cursed as Ruby plummeted towards them.


	4. Chapter 5

Chapter 3

Point A to Point B

Part 2

(Moments Earlier)

" _RUBY_!" Weiss shouted, "I _told_ you this was a terrible idea!"

Weiss and Ruby weren't having the best of luck at the moment. Right now, they were clinging onto the feathers of a giant bird for dear life.

"We're _fine_ ," Ruby shouted back, "stop worrying!"

Weiss was getting more frustrated.

"I am _so far_ beyond worrying!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"In a good way?" she asked.

"In a _bad_ way!" Weiss answered, angered by her 'partner.'

"Well, why don't we just _jump_!?" Ruby suggested.

Weiss was taken back by this.

"What are you, _insane_!?" she asked.

However, Ruby had already jumped.

"Oh, you insufferable little…"

(Present Time)

Optimus, Megatron and the others watched as Ruby fell back down to earth. Optimus prepared to catch her but was surprised to see that a certain loveable idiot flew into her, knocking them both into a nearby tree.

"What was that," Ruby asked in her daze.

"(Ahem) hey there," Jaune said, a little embarrassed.

Back with the others.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked rather calmly.

"That seems to be the case," Optimus replied.

Before they could get Ruby and Jaune down, they heard growling in the trees. It was one of those bear monsters! It was thrashing around, trying to get something off its back. Suddenly, a blast of electricity hit it from behind as the orange haired girl from the start of initiations could be seen riding it! Once the beast fell, the girl seemed rather disappointed.

"Aw, it's broken," she said.

"What is _with_ these people?" Megatron questioned no one in particular.

Then, the boy with the pink stipe in his hair came from behind the beast, panting heavily.

"Nora," he said, "please… don't _ever_ do that again!"

However, Nora had already made a mad dash to the artifacts.

"Ooh," she said, interested by the Rook chess piece.

She then did adorable poses as she began to sing, "I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!"

Her singing was interrupted by her friend shouting her name.

"Hehe, coming Ren!" she said as she skipped along to her friend, Ren.

"Did that girl just _ride in_ on an _Ursa_?" Blake asked.

"These people are _so_ intolerable sometimes," Megatron commented.

To make matters worse, Pyrrha came running out into the open with a giant scorpion not far behind!

"Hmph, reminds me of Scorponok," Megatron said, remembering the energon battles.

"Did she just _run_ all the way here with a _Deathstalker_ on her tail," Blake asked, still as calm as ever.

It was at this moment Yang had had enough.

"Grrr, _I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE_!"

Suddenly, she burst into flames as her eyes started glowing red.

" _CAN EVERYONE JUST CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN!_ " she shouted.

"Hmm, I could get used to this angry side of you, Yang," Megatron said, but was ignored by Yang in her anger.

"Um, Yang?" Ruby said as she tapped her sister's arm and pointed up.

Everyone was shocked to see that Weiss was hanging from the talon of a giant bird!

"Slag, not again," Optimus said disappointedly.

" _HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME_!?" Weiss shouted at the top of her lungs.

"I said 'jump'," Ruby reminded her.

"She can't hold on for long," Optimus said.

"She'll be fine," Ruby reassured.

"She's falling," Ren corrected.

Noticing the opportunity to be a hero, Jaune jumped into the air, catching Weiss in his arms.

"Just dropping in?" he asked.

Weiss and Jaune then looked down in fear, realizing that they were still far from the ground.

"Oh god!" Jaune said as they continued to fall.

But instead of hitting the ground, the two felt something grabbing the back of their clothes as they gently landed on the ground.

"You're welcome," Optimus said as he put the two down.

Weiss crossed her arms and looked away while Jaune just scratched the back of his head.

As Optimus, Jaune, and Weiss walked back to the rest of the group, Pyrrha was flung over to the rest of the by the deathstalker.

"Great, the gang's all here. Now, we can _die_ together," Yang said sarcastically.

"Not if I can help it," Ruby said as she charged towards the scorpion, scythe in hand.

"Ruby wait!" Optimus tried stopping her but realized that she wouldn't back down.

She slashed at the overgrown bug with her weapon but was knocked back by its claws.

"D-Don't worry," she reassured, "I'm totally fine!"

She turned around and began firing upon the Scorpion, only further angering it. Ruby tried running but came to a halt when the bird shot its feathers towards the ground like arrows. Unfortunately, one of the feathers pinned Ruby down by her cape. Both Yang and Optimus ran to her aid. While Yang was stopped by the feathers as well, Optimus kept going.

"Ruby, _move_!" Optimus shouted as Ruby tried unpinning her cape.

Before she could get free, Ruby saw that the Deathstalker had caught up to her as it thrusted its stinger towards her. She closed her eyes, expecting a sharp pain from the stinger. Luckily, this never came as Optimus dashed over to her and blocked the stinger with his bare hands!

"Woah, how are you…" Ruby's question was interrupted by Optimus answering it early.

"I have _lots_ of tricks up my sleeve. Now, get out of here!"

Optimus then leapt into the air behind the scorpion, stinger still in hand, as he threw the bug as hard as he could off into the distance.

"Don't mess with my friends," he said, shocking everyone who was watching.

"Guys," Jaune said, "that thing's circling back. What're we gonna do?"

He, of course, was referring to the bird.

"Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is _right in front of us_!" Weiss stated, looking at the chess pieces.

"She's right," Ruby added, "our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs! There's no point in fighting these things."

Jaune let out a smirk, "Run and live? That _is_ an idea I can get behind."

Megatron crossed his arms.

"Now where's the fun in that," he pouted.

Jaune and Ruby both grabbed an artifact, both dead-set on making it out alive.

"Time we left," Ren said as they headed for the cliffs.

But this didn't stop Yang from feeling proud of her baby sister.

"What is it," Blake asked.

"Nothing," Yang replied with a smirk on her face.

The group made their way to a large, open area filled with ancient ruins. They all hid behind pillars and debris as the bird perched itself on a large spire.

"Well, that's just prime," Optimus said.

Not only that, but the Deathstalker had caught up to them as well.

"Aw man, _run_ ," Jaune shouted as the group made a break towards the spire.

"Nora, distract it!" Ren said as Nora headed towards the bird.

She narrowly avoided its feather sand pulled out her gun. She immediately began to fire upon it, causing it to fly away. The Deathstalker managed to get the drop on her as it raised its claws to strike. Luckily, Ren and Blake were there to assist as Weiss carried Nora away. Megatron laughed as they all ran past him. Right now, he was the only thing standing between the scorpion and its lunch.

"Hahaha, you're _MINE_!" Megatron shouted as he dashed at the bug, energy sword in hand.

Suddenly, the bird came swooping in, crashing into the ridge leaving Megatron on the other side. He looked behind himself, noticing that he had little room to move. Unfortunately for him, this left an opportunity for the Deathstalker to strike as it brought its stinger down, knocking Megatron of the edge. He let out a cry of anger as he fell into the mist. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren then jumped to the other side of the bridge, engaging the scorpion.

"Uh, I can't make that jump!" Jaune said, worried that he's meet the same fate as Megatron.

Nora then smiled as she knocked Jaune out of the way and transformed her gun into a hammer. She jumped in the air facing Jaune. Realizing what she was doing, Jaune tried to plead for her to stop. However, it was to no avail as Nora smashed the remains of the bridge, flinging Jaune to the other side. She the stood on the head of her hammer and blasted her way to the other side.

Meanwhile, with Ruby, Optimus, Yang, Blake, and Weiss, the Nevermore was currently trying to have them as a light snack.

"It's tougher than it looks," Blake said, stating the obvious.

"Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" Yang said.

"If that's the case," Optimus said, a smirk forming under his mask, "let's get down to business!"

Optimus then jumped into the air, a red glow emitting from his body.

" _OPTIMUS PRIME, SUPER MODE_!" he shouted as a jetpack came falling out of the sky.

It split in two as the lower half became height-boosters for his legs and he rest becoming a jetpack with two massive guns. A yellow visor covered Optimus' eyes and two head fins covered his ears!

"All cannons, _FIRE_!" He yelled.

The two cannons on the jetpack folded down to Optimus' arms, as well as guns in the sides of his calves. Massive blasts of energy fired from them. Despite the bird's massive size, it managed to evade all his shots, knocking down the spire Ruby and the others were on. Luckily, the four girls parkoured their way back up.

"I already told your pal this," Optimus said, his eyes glowing yellow, "don't mess with my friends!"

He then flew after the bird, planning to lead it away from everyone. Yang had managed to climb to the top of one of the broken columns holding up the spire and began to fire upon the bird. But the bird was still focused on Optimus. Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were currently fighting the Deathstalker. They weren't doing that great. They charged at it, but the scorpion merely knocked them away with its tail.

"Ugh, how are we supposed to beat this thing!?" Jaune questioned. Suddenly, a mighty battle cry, followed by a purple light, erupted from the chasm below the ruins. Everyone stopped fighting as they looked to the light, a shadowy figure floating in the middle of it.

"Megatron," Optimus said, glaring at his long-time foe.

Megatron gently landed on the ground, the stone beneath him shattering as his feet touched it.

"No one bests me," he said in anger.

The scorpion swung its claw at Megatron, only for it to be stopped by his mere _finger_!

"Not _Prime!"_

The gargantuan bug swung its other claw at him, it also being caught by his finger.

"Not the _Autobots_!"

The Deathstalker thrusted its tail at Megatron. Purple flames then engulfed the mighty tyrant as the stinger shattered on impact!

"And not _you_!"

Megatron grabbed the claws and jumped into the Deathstalker's face. He pulled on its claws and, with little effort, split the beast in two! He looked towards the bird and chucked both halves of the scorpion at it, both of them making an impact. The bird fell to the ground with a screech of pain.

" _LET THAT BE A LESSON TO THOSE WHO DARE CHALLENGE ME_!" Megatron shouted Everyone was stunned by Megatron's incredible feat of strength, everyone but Optimus.

To him, this was merely foreshadowing of what was yet to come. However, while everyone stood there, mouths agape, Yang let out a smirk.

"Yang likey," she said, impressed by Megatron's raw power.

Megatron leapt into the air towards Prime, a look of determination and anger on his face.

"Prime," he shouted, "let's finish off that flying mongrel!"

Optimus nodded in response. The sky went dark as both Optimus and Megatron started glowing red and purple. Two beams of energy shot forth from them, punching a hole in the dark clouds. Two bright objects, shaped like keys, fell towards them. Before Megatron's key reached him, menacing armor appeared on his body.

" _Cyber Key Power!_ " he shouted as the key inserted itself in Megatron's armor, causing a machine gun to flip out into his hand.

" _Cyber Key Power_!" Optimus shouted as his key inserted itself into one of his cannons, causing it to split open.

" _FIRE_!" the two said in unison, firing at the flying grimm.

Once their shots hit their target, the bird burst into flames, its body disappearing before it hit the ground.

"It's over," Optimus said, panting heavily.

"You know, Prime," Megatron said, panting as well, "when we're not fighting, we make a decent team. Ever considered being a Decepticon?"

Optimus glared at his enemy, while Megatron smirked back. The other students were amazed at just how powerful Optimus and Megatron were.

(Back at the Cliffs)

Ozpin was observing the whole battle on his scroll. Glynda was shocked at Optimus and Megatron's power, but Ozpin was rather intrigued.

"Who are you two," he asked no one in particular.

(Back with the main characters)

"Well," Yang said as she stood by Blake and Weiss, "that was a thing!"

(Time Skip)

Later, at the Academy, Professor Ozpin had begun assigning he teams.

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as, Team CRDL. Lead by… Cardin Winchester."

The four walked off the stage as the crowd clapped for them. Making their way up next was Jaune and the others.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR, lead by… Jaune Arc."

Jaune went wide eyed, not expecting himself to be leader. Pyrrha only smiled, proud of her new friend.

"Congratulations young man," Ozpin said.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as, Team RWBY. Lead by… Ruby Rose!"

Yang ran up to her sister and gave her a bear hug.

"I'm so _proud_ of you!" she congratulated.

"And finally, our first ever team of _two_. Optimus Prime and Megatron. You two retrieved the Black King pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as, Team OMega. And seeing as there's only two of you, you shall be equals in your team!"

Optimus smiled under his mask as the crowd cheered for them. Megatron retained his stoic attitude.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year," Ozpin said as the crowd continued to cheer.

(…)

Later that night, in an old, abandoned Wearhouse, stood a man with a white suit, black hat, and a cane. He was currently looking over a map on the wall. He lit the cigar in his mouth as a man in a mask walked up to him with a cart full of multi-colored dust gems.

"We're gonna need more men," the man said, clearly plotting something.

Hopefully, teams RWBY, JNPR, and OMega are prepared for the journey ahead of them. Until next time.


	5. Chapter 6

Chapter 4

Settling In

It was early in the morning, Optimus and Megatron were still both sound asleep in their dorm room, which they so reluctantly shared. Suddenly, Optimus' alarm, which was shaped like the Autobot symbol, went off. Groggily, Optimus went to turn off the alarm, but he only knocked it onto the floor. Optimus, eyes still half closed, got out of bed and stretched his arms.

"Ugh, Megatron. Wake up," he said, yawning in between words.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm…" Megatron said, muffled by his pillow.

Optimus gave him an annoyed look as he pulled the covers off Megatron.

" _Now Megatron_!" Megatron looked up at Optimus with one eye, a scowl on his face.

"(Sigh) alright, fine. I'm up, happy now?" Megatron said as he got up from the bed.

"Ah, I haven't had a good power down like _that_ in _centuries_!" Megatron said.

"Well, power down's over. It's time to get ready for the day," Optimus said as he changed into his uniform.

Megatron gave him a blank stare.

"What?" Optimus asked.

"Do we _really_ have to wear that?" he questioned.

Optimus put his hand on his forehead, "Megatron, listen, if we want answers, then we need to lay low. Meaning, we can't draw attention to ourselves, and the best way to do it is by following the rules."

Megatron rolled his eyes.

"Optimus, please, I'm pretty sure our little _stunt_ yesterday attracted more attention than necessary," Megatron said, reminding Optimus of their skirmish with the grimm.

Optimus facepalmed. Optimus and Megatron's conversation was interrupted by what sounded like a whistle in the room next door, followed by three female voices shouting 'banzai.'

"It seems 'Team RWBY' has taken up residence next to us," Megatron stated correctly.

Before Optimus could speak, he was interrupted by loud construction sounds in team RWBY's room.

"What is going on in there?" he asked.

Megatron shrugged at him.

"(Ahem) now then," Optimus said as he opened up a book by the side of his bed.

"What's that?" Megatron asked.

"Ozpin told us the schedule for the classes for the year yesterday, were you even paying attention?"

"Tch, such things are a waste of time. Honestly, Prime, why even bother with _this_ if we can just ask them _personally_?" Megatron scoffed.

Instead of giving an answer, Optimus sprang up from the bed and tossed their schedule on the floor.

"N-no more time for talking, the first class starts in _five minutes! C'mon!"_

Optimus then pulled Megatron out of the room, even though he was still getting dressed. Meanwhile, Teams RWBY and JNPR were having the same problems as Team RWBY sprinted down the hallway, trampling Optimus and Megatron.

"Sorry," Ruby said as they ran over them.

"Ugh, this is foolish Prime," Megatron said as he and Optimus got up, Team JNPR running past them.

"Well, we can't transform into our vehicle modes, so running is our best bet!" Optimus retorted.

Megatron then smirked.

"Or…" he said as he pointed his hand in front of him. A red and black portal appeared in front of them! "…we could just take a warp gate!"

Optimus stood there dumbfounded.

"Y-you can still use those!?" he questioned.

"Don't get your hopes up, Prime. I don't have enough power to get us home."

Optimus put a hand to his chin, "Hmm, we'll have to find a way to get our full power back. But for now, let's just get to class."

Optimus and Megatron then stepped through the portal and into a mostly open room.

(Time Skip)

"Monsters! Demons! Prowlers of the night!" a large man with a bushy mustache began, "Yes, the creatures of Grimm have _many names_ , but I merely refer to them as _prey_! Hu-hah ha…"

The students in the room were _not_ amused, including Megatron. Optimus, however, was busy taking notes. He had learned a few things of this world. More specifically, the Grimm. There were names for each type of Grimm: Beowolves, Boarbatusks, Goliaths, Ursas, King Taijitus, Nevermores, and Deathstalkers. Four of which he and the others have dealt with before. Right now, the teacher, Professor Port, was going on about how he captured a Beowolf as a child. Meanwhile, Ruby was doodling something on her paper, catching Optimus' attention. It looked like she was drawing a cartoony version of Port. She stuck her tongue out as she showed her picture to Yang, making her laugh. At the same time, Port cleared his throat to get their attention.

"In the end, the Beowolf was _no match_ for my sheer _tenacity_!" he boasted.

"Hmph, arrogant fool," Megatron scoffed under his breath, causing Optimus to smack him upside the head.

Megatron growled at his nemesis as Port kept talking.

"And I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high! Celebrated as a _hero!_ "

Port then bowed, thanking everyone for their 'attention.'

"The moral of this story? A true huntsman must be _honorable_!"

Ruby then started to goof off, balancing a book on a pencil.

"A true huntsman must be _dependable_!" Port continued as Ruby fell asleep.

"A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and _wise_!" he said as Ruby picked her nose, further angering Weiss.

"So, who among _you_ believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Port asked. Weiss planned on claiming her self to be this way. But before she could raise her hand, Megatron decided to have some fun with Optimus.

"I believe my 'teammate' here thinks he has these attributes," Megatron said, catching Port's attention.

"Megatron! What…" Optimus said.

He was about to tell Port Megatron made a mistake, however, it was too late.

"Mr. Prime! Do you _really_ believe to be the embodiment of these traits?" Port asked, twirling his mustache.

Megatron decided to answer for him, "Indeed he does, sir. Go on Prime, show 'em what you're made of!"

Weiss was so mad at this that steam was coming out of her ears.

"Well then," Port said, "let's find out. Step forward and face your opponent!"

Port then pointed to a large cage that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Two glowing red eyes could be seen staring from inside the cage, as well as the sound of growling and snarling.

"(Sigh) ok, let's get this over with," Prime said as he walked to the front of the class, facing whatever was in the cage.

"Go Optimus!" Ruby shouted, giving Prime a thumb's up.

Prime drew his sword, prepared for the Grimm he was about to face.

"Alright," Port said as he swung his axe at the lock, "let the match… _BEGIN!_ "

As the cage door fell to the ground, a Grimm called a Boarbatusk ran out of it, charging at Prime head on! Prime jumped out o the way, causing the Grimm to slide across the ground. He assumed a fighting stance, ready to strike.

"Let's do it!" he said as he ran towards the Boarbatusk, with it charging at Optimus too. Optimus slashed his sword at the beast, causing it to skid to a halt. As it turned around, its two tusks fell to the ground, causing it to squeal in anger. Prime smirked under his mask, but his smile faded once he saw the pigs next attack. The Boarbatusk curled up and began to spin rapidly. It rolled towards Optimus at near break-neck speeds. Luckily, Prime's red aura deflected the oncoming attack.

"Optimus!" Ruby shouted, "Go for its belly, there's no armor underneath!"

Optimus nodded in response as he dashed towards the Grimm. He grabbed it by the snout, flipped it over, and stabbed its stomach!

"Bravo, bravo!" Professor Port congratulated, "it appears we are _indeed_ in the presence of a _true_ huntsman in training!"

Optimus looked to his left and saw most of Team RWBY cheering him on. He gave a thumb's up in response. The only ones who weren't cheering were Blake, due to her quiet nature, and Weiss. Weiss wasn't cheering because of how frustrated for Optimus showing her up. Megatron frowned at Optimus. It was a frown that said, 'you could've done better.' But Optimus knew this as well, seeing as how he was holding back.

"Professor," Optimus said, catching Port's attention.

"Hmm, yes, what is it?" he asked.

"You forgot one trait," Optimus said, causing Port to raise an eyebrow.

"Humility, I think you can learn something from it," Optimus said as he walked away, Port simply crossed his arms.

"Um, class dismissed," he said.

Weiss was the first one to leave as she stormed off in a huff. Ruby's team looked at her, as well as Optimus.

"I-I'll go talk to her," she said.

"(Sigh) I'll go too," Optimus soon followed.

Finally they'd caught up to her.

"Weiss," they said in unison.

" _What!?_ " she shouted back.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being…" Weiss then interrupted Ruby's question with her own.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you!?_ " she asked, Ruby taking a step back, "You're supposed to be a _leader_ and all you've been is a _nuisance!_ "

Optimus then intervened.

"Hey, back off!" he said, but Weiss only got up in his face and argued back.

"And _you!_ You've only proven that you're a bossy brute who doesn't know when he's _lost!"_

Ruby scoffed at Weiss saying, "what did _we_ do?"

This just made Weiss more ticked.

"That's just _it!_ You've done _nothing_ to earn your position as leader! And you," she said pointing at Optimus, "The only thing _you've_ done is talk me down!" Ruby's expression grew more somber.

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a _team!_ "

Weiss' expression soured.

"Not a team led by _you_ ," she said.

Ruby's face went from sad to depressed. Weiss turned away as Ruby reached out to her.

Before she could speak again, Weiss said, "Ozpin made a mistake," and stormed off.

Ruby hung her head as Optimus put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, Ozpin chose wisely," Optimus said, trying to comfort her.

"How do you know?" she asked.

Optimus then turned Ruby to face him.

"Because when I look at you, I don't see a nuisance or a child. I see someone who's simply lost and in need of guidance. Someone who has the potential to become a great leader," he said.

Ruby looked up to him with a smile on her face.

"Thanks," she said.

Optimus smiled under his mask.

"C'mon, let's go back to the others," he said as the two walked back to their dorms.

However, as soon as they turned around, they were met with a familiar face.

"Well, that went slightly better than expected," Ozpin said.

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?" ruby asked.

Even though her confidence was boosted a little by Optimus, she still wanted confirmation.

"That remains to be seen," Ozpin chuckled lightly.

(…)

Back with Weiss, she was currently going to see Professor Port on one of the rooftops.

"Professor Port," she said, grabbing his attention.

"Ah, Miss Schnee! And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?" he said as he took a light bow.

"I-I enjoyed your lecture," Weiss stuttered.

"Of course you did, child!" he said proudly. Weiss hung her head slightly. "Hmm, something's troubling you?" Port asked.

"Yes, sir," Weiss answered nervously.

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!" Port requested.

"Well," she said, "I-I think _I_ should've been the leader of Team RWBY!"

Port stood there with a blank expression on his face.

"That's preposterous!" he said finally.

(…)

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, obviously confused.

"I mean, it's only been one day," Ozpin said, making a valid point, "Ruby, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet," he said.

'If only he knew the _half_ of Megatron's life choices,' Optimus thought.

"But at this moment, I would _not_ consider your appointment to leader to be one of them," Ozpin continued, slightly reassuring Ruby. "Do you?" Ozpin asked.

(…)

"Excuse me!?" she said, surprised by Port's response.

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for _many years_ , and the man's never once led me astray," Port explained.

"So you would just _blindly accept_ his decision after seeing how exceptional I am?" Weiss retorted.

"I haven't once seen you in action, as a leader or combatant," Port said as he shrugged, "Besides, I'm sure your skill on the battlefield is only matched by your _poor attitude_."

Weiss crossed her arms.

"How _dare_ you!" she shouted. "My point exactly," Port said, "I see a girl before me who's spent her life getting _exactly_ what she wanted," Port suggested.

"That's not even _remotely_ true," Weiss rebutted, to which Port raised an eyebrow, "Well, not entirely true," Weiss confessed (kinda).

(…)

"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle," Ozpin explained, "but a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, what reason do you give others to follow you?" he asked.

"He's right," Optimus sighed, "back home, I had to set an example for my team, an example I had to maintain both in war, and during times of rest."

Optimus then thought back to his time spent with the other Autobots. He remembered the Minicon Wars, their struggles against Unicron, and their current fight for control over the Omega Lock.

(…)

"So, the outcome didn't fall in your favor," Port said, "do you _really believe_ acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision?" Weiss began to ponder on his words.

"So instead of fretting about what you _don't_ have, savor what you _do_! Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best _leader_ , but the best _person_ you can be," Port finished.

Weiss took a deep breath and took Port's advice into consideration.

(…)

"You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility Ruby," Ozpin said as he began to walk away. "I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it." Ruby faintly smiled as Ozpin walked away and, while she was still curious about how Optimus dealt with being a leader, she was just happy to get an answer.

(Time Skip)

Weiss quietly walked into her and her team's room, not wanting to wake anyone. She pulled back the tarp covering Ruby's portion of the bunk bed, revealing her sound asleep, surrounded by books and notes. To Weiss' surprise, Ruby had nearly completed the assignment for tonight. She cleared her throat as she tapped Ruby on the arm. Ruby woke with a start.

"W-Weiss I… I was studying and then I fell asleep and I'm sorry," Ruby said.

Weiss then put a hand on Ruby's mouth, signaling her to quiet down.

"How do you take your coffee?" she asked, confusing Ruby.

"Uh, I-I don't…" Weiss interrupted her.

"Answer the question!" Ruby almost twisted her tongue, saying the answer so fast.

"Uh, cream and five sugars!" she said.

"Don't move," Weiss sighed.

In a flash, Weiss made Ruby some coffee.

"Here," she said as she handed Ruby her drink.

"Um, thanks Weiss," Ruby said, still confused.

Weiss looked down for a moment.

"Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader," she admitted, "Just know, that I am going to be the _best teammate_ you will ever have."

Ruby smiled, Weiss smiled back.

"Good luck studying," Weiss said before she walked out of the room, but, that didn't mean that she couldn't correct Ruby on a few things.

"Hey Ruby," she said, "I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." Ruby's smile widened as she continued studying.

(…)

Optimus was fast asleep, exhausted from the classes and the fight today. He only hoped that Ruby and Weiss could sort things out. However, Megatron wasn't so exhausted.

"Prime," he whispered seeing if his nemesis was still up.

He wasn't. Megatron smirked as he opened a miniature warp gate under the covers of his bed. In his hand was a small device with a blinking red button on it.

"Now my Decepticons, come to _me!_ " Megatron's eyes glowed as he sent the devise through the portal, right at the Decepticons present location.

His eyes glowed red as he quietly let out an evil laugh.


	6. Chapter 7

Chapter 5

Friends and Enemies

All was quiet on the home planet of the Transformers. Well, mostly anyways. The Autobots were busy trying to find out if Optimus was really destroyed.

"Hey Red, find anything yet?" Hotshot asked Red Alert, who was busy on the computer.

"Afraid not."

He was currently playing back a recording of Optimus and Megatron's last fight. Hotshot slammed his fist onto the control panel.

"Argh, man! We're totally lost without Big-Bot!"

The Autobots were practically falling apart without their leader. For now, Vector Prime was put in charge, but bots were still in panic. The same could be said for the Decepticons. Seeing as how they didn't have a base, they were just roaming the streets of Cybertron.

"Aw shoot! How're we supposed to get the Omega Lock without Megatron?" Thundercracker asked as he hovered above the other Decepticons.

"Beats me," Crumplezone responded.

"Eh, who needs the guy? Without Megatron, we can do whatever we want!" Ransack suggested, only to receive a glare that could _kill_ someone from Thunderblast.

"What do you mean 'who needs him?' _I_ need him! I'm _lost_ without my Megatron!" Thunderblast said as she fell to her knees.

Crumplezone and Ransack shrugged at each other. Thundercracker then transformed and landed beside them.

"Hey, what about you, Scourge? Ya got anything to say?" he asked the savage noble.

"Hmph, I don't need Megatron, _or you four_ for that matter!" he shouted, showing his fangs, "I can't _stand_ being around you four weaklings! I'm tired of this nonsense!"

The four Decepticons were in shock as Scourge began to walk away from them.

"Hey, where're ya goin', huh? What about the _Autobots_!" Ransack shouted as he began to flail his arms in the air.

"Forget it!" Scourge snarled, "good bye and _good riddance!_ "

The four cons slumped over in defeat, especially Thunderblast.

"Megatron, where are you!?" they all shouted in unison.

And as if to answer their prayers, a small warp gate appeared in front of them. The Cons walked closer to the warp gate, surprised as they saw a small, round device fall in front of them.

"What is it?" Crumplezone asked.

"I don't know," Ransack responded as he went to pick up the device, only to drop it immediately afterwards as a hologram of a very menacing human displayed from it.

"Greetings, my Decepticons," the hologram said with a devilish smirk on his face.

" _M-M-M-M-M-M-MEGATRON!"_ the four shouted, ecstatic to see their leader, yet also terrified.

"Megatron, you're ok!" Thunderblast said as she picked up the hologram and began nuzzling it up against her face.

" _Will you quit it you buffoon!_ " Megatron demanded,

"(Sigh) now, I want you four to listen _very carefully!_ " the four then moved in closer to the hologram.

"I want you to use your power to widen the warp gate I sent this device through, understand?" Ransack and Crumplezone looked at each other.

"The heck are we supposed to do that?" Ransack asked.

"How should I know? Thunderblast, you got any idea how to… hey, where'd she go?" Crumplezone questioned as he, Ransack and Thundercracker looked to their left and saw Thunderblast forcefully trying to widen the portal.

"I'm coming for you Megatron!" she said as she pried the warp gate open.

There was determination in her optics and a flame in her spark. She grunted and strained as she tugged on the portal with both her hands and her feet. However, it was to no avail. She fell on her back, exhausted from what little work she did. In turn, Megatron made a look that practically just spelled out, 'you moron!'

"Argh, use your cyber keys, you idiots!" Megatron shouted, receiving unified 'oh' from the others.

" _CYBER KEY POWER!_ " The four shouted as they activated their cyber keys.

Crumplezone flipped out his shoulder cannons, Ransack's gun sprang from his back and into his hand, Thundercracker's cannon split in two, revealing the barrel, and Thunderblast's rocket launcher flipped open revealing… a bigger rocket launcher. How creative of you Hasbro. They all fired their weapons at the warp gate, dead set on finding Megatron. The energy from their weapons was absorbed by the vortex, giving it more energy. Thus, it increased in size, now big enough for the average sized Transformer to fit through.

"Alright!" Thundercracker shouted, "now what?"

" _STEP THROUGH YOU PUTRID IMBICILE!"_ Megatron said furiously.

Thunderblast was the first to go through as she leapt into the portal in a swan-dive fashion.

"H-hey, wait for us!" the other three Decepticons pleaded as they all jumped through the warp gate just before it closed.

(…)

It had been a few weeks since Optimus and Megatron had arrived at Beacon Academy. They were able to gather valuable information on this strange world from their classes. They'd learned more about the Grimm, what Dust is, and about the conflicts between the humans and faunas'. Not only that, but Pyrrha had offered to help train Jaune after he resolved a few issues with Cardin Winchester. These past few days have been somewhat challenging for the two transformers, but luckily for them, today was the weekend. Optimus had decided to spend the weekend training out in the woods, but Megatron had decided to spend the weekend in his dorm, not wanting to socialize with anyone.

"Ugh, what is taking those four buffoons so long?"

Megatron was growing impatient, waiting for the Decepticons to arrive. He was also very bored. Since he decided to stay inside, he had nothing to amuse himself with. Luckily, Megatron didn't have to wait long before something happened. There was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice.

"Hey Megs, you in there?"

Megatron sighed as he got up off the bed and walked towards the door. However, the door shot open before he could open it, revealing a cheerful, purple-eyed blonde. She smiled and waved at him, only to have the door slammed in her face. Megatron might have been bored, but he still didn't want to socialize.

"Aw, c'mon! I just wanna talk!"

Megs hung his head in defeat, realizing that he'd never get her off his back. He reluctantly opened the door back up, Yang's smile returning.

"What do you want?"

"Dude, I _just told you_. I wanna talk!"

Megatron sighed again as he stepped out of the room and started walking down the hall.

"Hey, where're you going?"

"I don't do small talk."

Megatron didn't even look back as he said that. But that didn't stop Yang from walking with him. Megatron frowned as he put his hands in his pockets. Yang playfully bumped him with her hips, trying to get him to cheer up.

"What's got _you_ so wound up?" she asked.

Megatron was unresponsive. Although, he was growing more annoyed by the second. Yang started to frown. A lightbulb then went off in her head, a devilish smirk forming on her face. She fastened her pace and stopped in front of him, catching him off guard. Megatron tried walking around her, but she kept getting in his way.

"Look," he said, "whatever you're playing at, it's not going to work. Now stand aside!"

Megatron pushed Yang out of the way, causing her to fall on the floor. A scowl formed on her face as her purple eyes turned red. She sprang up and grabbed Megatron's arm.

"Listen, we're gonna talk. _Got it?_ "

Megatron's expression remained stern. Then he did something that took Yang by surprise. He began to lightly laugh!

"What's so funny?" Yang asked, her eyes returning to their normal color.

Megatron ceased to laugh, a grin forming on his face.

"I find it amusing how you get upset over the smallest things," he said. "Alright, you want to talk? Let's talk."

(…)

Optimus stood deep within the Emerald Forest, positioning himself in a fighting stance. He wasn't being attacked, he was just practicing. Before he was brought to Remnant, Landmine had taught him an ancient form of Cybertronian martial art: The art of Metallico. He performed different styles of defensive moves and multiple punches and kicks. Once he finished the first set of moves, he sat down on a large rock, crossing his legs. He put his hands on his lap as his body began to glow red, a blue orb forming in his chest. Suddenly, the orb began to take form, resembling a container of sorts. It had two long, silver handles with a round, orange center. Inside this vessel was a mass of blue energy, bright enough to light the darkest of nights. Prime slowly opened his eyes as the vessel landed in his hands. However, it did not last. It slowly dissipated shortly after landing in Optimus' hands. Optimus formed a disappointed expression under his mask.

"(Sigh) this is harder than I thought it would be. Maybe I should take a break."

Optimus had been trying to summon this artifact for weeks; this was the longest it lasted. Optimus lay down on the soft grass, staring up at the sky above. He thought back to his time with his friends, remembering their adventures together.

"Hmph, we had a good run, didn't we," he said, closing his eyes, "but for now, you must continue without me. May Primus guide you."

However, his moment of peace was brief as he heard a strange noise behind him. He sat up and looked back into the trees. At first, he didn't see anything, but after further inspection, he saw a familiar creature. It was the same, jellyfish-like creature he and Megatron saw during initiations. Optimus drew his sword, pointing it at the Grimm.

"Alright whatever you are, come out and face me!"

The creature remained still. But the it caught Optimus off guard when a female voice came from it.

"I've been watching you for a _long time_ , Optimus Prime," it said.

"What are you? What do you want?"

There was no response.

"Speak!"

The voice then began to cackle, with the tentacles on the Grimm pointing at Optimus. They shot forth at him, grabbing his arms and legs, pulling him on the ground. He was dragged closer to the creature, struggling to get out of its grasp. The creature then transformed into a tall, pale woman, shrouded in shadow. She wore a black dress and had white hair, with black veins running along her face. She dragged Optimus closer to her face, her eyes sending a chill up his spine.

"I'll tell you what I want."

She put a hand under his chin, causing him to wince at her cold touch.

" _YOU!_ "

(…)

Yang and Megatron had made their way to the main courtyard, with Yang ever so persistent with asking questions.

"So," she said, "where'd you find a logo like that?"

She pointed to the Decepticon Insignia on Megatron's shirt, curious of its origins. Megatron smirked, eager to speak of his greatness.

"I _designed_ this insignia, it's the Decepticon brand."

"Decepticon?"

"It's a faction lead by me, of course. Back home, Optimus and I were mortal enemies. Well, we _are_ mortal enemies. A war broke out, and Optimus and his cronies managed to drive my forces back. The Decepticons are dwindling in numbers, but we are still strong. Or at least, I'm still strong."

Yang was growing intrigued.

"Why was there a war?"

"You really want to know?"

Yang nodded.

"Alright, I'll tell you. It all started many years ago, when we realized that our energy supply was running devastatingly low. Optimus wanted to resolve it peacefully, but I knew that wasn't the answer. Whereas Prime sought peace through equality, I saw peace through tyranny!"

Megatron thought back to when the war first started on Cybertron and led to Earth. He remembered the struggle for the Minicons and his incompetent lackies. His thoughts were then interrupted when Yang spoke up.

"So, you're the bad guy then?"

"Hmph, not right now. But even if I _were_ to try and rule here, I doubt you'd be a match."

Before Megatron could continue, he heard the sound of guns cocking. He turned to his right and saw Yang pointing her shotgun gauntlets at him with a grin on her face.

"Let's find out."

(…)

Optimus woke in a cold sweat, screaming as he swiftly sat up. He tore off his faceplate, so he could breathe, revealing the rest of his face. He was panting heavily, his heart beating out of his chest. He put his hand on his head, trying to calm himself down.

"(Gasp) it was just a dream! It wasn't real," he said, trying to convince himself.

However, he was still unsure as to whether it was a dream or reality. It felt so real to him, like a memory of something that actually happened. Optimus thought about that shadowy woman who presumably tried to kill him. He put his mask back on and got up on his feet.

"No, it was a dream… it was a dream."

Luckily, his suspicions were confirmed when he observed his surroundings, only to find that he was the only one there.

(…)

Megatron took a fighting stance, as did Yang. He summoned his energy sword and pointed it at Yang, fire forming on the blade.

'Are you sure you want to fight me?" Megatron taunted, a smirk growing on his face.

"Just don't hold back," Yang responded, eager to fight.

"Hmph, if I didn't, you'd be dead before you could even blink."

Megatron's taunting was getting Yang angry, but she didn't mind. She dashed forward, swinging her fist at him, but she missed, giving Megatron the chance to strike. He tapped her back with her finger, sending her flying across the courtyard! One would think an attack like that wouldn't do anything, but this was _Megatron_ , the one who singlehandedly gained control of a _god!_ Once Yang recovered, she fired multiple blasts from her gauntlets, each of them hitting Megatron dead on. However, they had little to no effect. Yang's eyes glowed red as she charged at Megatron once again, this time making sure she hit him. She swung her fist again, only for it to be caught in Megatron's hand. Yang then fired her shotgun gauntlet in his hand, but it still had no effect.

"What the… but… _HOW!"_

Yang was in total shock at how Megatron was unscathed. He grabbed her arm and flung her over his head and onto her back, breaking the tiles making up the walkway. Megatron walked in front of her, raising his sword for the finishing blow. But instead of striking her, Megatron lowered his sword and extended his hand out to her. Yang took his hand as he pulled her to her feet.

"How… the _heck_ … are you so _strong!_ " she asked, eyes returning back to purple.

Megatron chuckled in response.

"If only you knew. Oh, by the way, I was holding back… significantly."

Megatron began to walk away, satisfied with his victory. Yang watched as he walked off, a grin forming on her face.

"I _like_ this guy."

Megatron looked behind him, seeing that Yang was almost as satisfied as he was with the outcome.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well, what?"

"Are you coming or not."

Yang ran to Megatron's side, smiling at him.

"You know, Yang, when I got here, I thought you were going to be a major nuisance. But, (I can't believe I'm saying this) you've grown on me some."

Yang playfully punched him in the arm.

"I knew you'd lighten up eventually!"

(Time Skip)

Optimus was growing concerned due to recent events. He was still wondering whether or not he was dreaming earlier. For now, he'd just have to wait. Luckily, Ruby was there to ease his nerves. Optimus told her about his dream and how real it felt.

"I'm sure it was just a bad dream," she said.

"I hope you're right. It just felt so _real_ though! Like it actually happened."

Before Optimus and Ruby could continue their conversation, they saw Megatron and Yang walking down the hall, talking to each other. Optimus raised an eyebrow at this, confused as to why _Megatron_ of all people would want to have small talk, but Ruby was just glad they were getting along.

"Well, it looks like Megatron's decided to take it easy," Ruby said, smiling.

"Hmm, perhaps. But I'm still gonna keep an eye on him."

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Oh, stop worrying so much. It's not like he has an army coming to tear down the place."

Optimus put his hand on his chin, actually taking what Ruby said into consideration. He knew he and Megatron were the only transformers here, but what if he managed to contact the Decepticons somehow. If only he knew.


	7. Chapter 8

Chapter 6

The Newcomers

These past few weeks have been interesting to say the least. Ever since Optimus and Megatron enrolled as huntsmen at Beacon, things have been rather chaotic. Luckily, everyone decided to take it easy today, including Optimus and Megatron. Earlier today, Team RWBY took this opportunity to head into town for a bit. Optimus was happy to tag along, but Megatron was a bit uncooperative at first. It was only due to Yang's 'persuasiveness' that Megatron went along with them.

"I'm still not used to being surrounded by all these organics," Megatron shuddered as he said the word 'organics.'

"*Sigh* you'll get used to them, in time," Optimus replied, slightly agitated by Megatron's words. However, their argument was interrupted by a rather uncharacteristic moment of glee from Weiss.

"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" she said, a wide grin on her face. Her sudden change in demeanor from mean to joyful sort of startled Ruby.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss. It's kinda weirding me out," Ruby commented.

"Uh, Weiss, what _is_ the Vytal Festival anyway?" Optimus asked, curious as to what was going on.

"How could you _not know_ about the Vytal Festival?" she replied, "it's a festival dedicated to _all_ the cultures of the world! There's dances parades, a tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event s simply _breathtaking!_ " Weiss was clearly filled with glee just at the mention of this festival.

"You people get worked up over the most trivial of things," Megatron scoffed, clearly not amused.

"Quiet you!" Weiss responded, going back to her normal, cold-hearted attitude. Megatron clenched his fist, angered by Weiss' attitude towards him. Luckily, his display of anger went no farther than that as Optimus grabbed his wrist and signaled for him to stop. Megatron was reluctant, but he complied.

"Hmph, while I don't indulge myself in such foolish things, I must admit, a tournament sounds quite amusing. I've been waiting to test my strength on a worthy opponent!" Megs said, growing eager to lay the smackdown on someone. Which lead to him thinking about his Decepticons. While they were rather incompetent, they sometimes managed to get the job done. And even though he wasn't exactly ecstatic about being able to contact them, he was looking forward to decimating Vale with them. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the horn of a boat going off near them.

"Tell me, why are we here again?" Optimus asked, "I understand the Festival, but why the docs? Are you expecting someone, Weiss?"

"Ugh, they smell like fish!" Ruby said, plugging her nose with her fingers.

"I've heard that students Visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!" Weiss said, eager to greet the newcomers.

"Tch, if this is what you call 'great,' then you're more pathetic than I imagined," Megatron mocked, earning a disapproving scowl from Weiss and Optimus. But before they could reply to Megatron's ever-so rude comment, Ruby noticed that a Dust shop was covered head to toe in yellow tape with the words 'caution' printed on them. They ran over to the ransacked store, with Optimus and Ruby getting there first, and the rest following shortly behind.

"What happened to this place?" Optimus asked one of the detectives on sight.

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." The Detective replied. Although concerned, Optimus was a bit confused as well.

"What's Dust?" he asked, receiving stunned looks from Team RWBY. "What?"

" _Dust_ is only one of the most valuable and important materials in the whole _world!_ And as you've heard before, _I'm_ the heiress to the biggest Dust company in all the four kingdoms." Weiss stated proudly. Optimus raised an eyebrow, still a little confused, but he decided to ask more on the subject later. Right now, they had other problems. Like how one of the detectives stated that the thieves left the money but stole only the Dust.

"Who needs that much Dust?" one detective said.

"I dunno, ya know what I mean?" said the other.

"You thinkin' the, uh, White Fang?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough." This only raised more questions, from both Optimus _and_ Megatron this time.

"The White Fang?" Megatron questioned.

"Hmph, just a group of no-good degenerates!" Weiss scoffed, grabbing Blake's attention.

"What's _your_ problem?" she asked.

" _My_ problem? I simply don't care for the _criminally insane!_ "

"The White Fang is _hardly_ a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus." Optimus and Megatron looked to each other.

"Well, that answers that. I think," Optimus said, "but, I know that _you'll_ want to know more about them, Megatron, seeing as how you're not too fond of 'competition'."

"And _you'll_ want to know what we're up against, won't you Prime?" Megatron assumed.

"Blake, what else do you know about the White Fang?" Optimus asked.

"Why, so you can mock them too?" Blake's response was a bit rude, but she still kept her calm demeanor.

"What, no I-I just…" Optimus tried to explain, but Weiss cut back in.

"Ugh, don't tell me you're actually _siding_ with those, those, _BARBARIANS!_ "

"They're _not barbarians!_ "

"They want to wipe humanity off the face of the _planet!_ "

"Again, they're _very_ misguided!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Optimus shouted, grabbing a hold of Blake and Weiss' shoulders, "You two are supposed to be teammates, so _act like it_ for _Primus'_ sake!" Blake recomposed her calm demeanor once Optimus let go of them, while Weiss just crossed her arms and looked away from her teammate.

"Well, now that that's settled, I suggest focusing on more pressing matters," Megatron said, trying to get everyone back on course, "such as figuring out why someone would need so much of this mineral."

"Maybe it was that Torchwick guy," Ruby suggested.

"Torchwick?" Optimus questioned.

"I caught him and some other thugs robbing a Dust shop a few months ago. I tried to stop them, but they got away. Oh, there was also this girl shooting a bunch of fireballs at me when they escaped!" This peaked Megatron's interests.

"By any chance, did you get a good look at her face?" he asked. Ruby thought back to the moment when Roman attacked.

"Uh… Nope."

"Hmph, very well," Megatron said as he crossed his arms, disappointed by Ruby's answer. 'Granted, I don't take any liking to competition, but I might still make some powerful allies here.'

"Well," Weiss butted in, "that doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of _scum._ Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal!"

"Now I'm sure that's not true!" Optimus retorted. But he soon realized that he spoke too soon as they all heard someone off in the distance shouting about a runaway Faunus. The six of them ran towards the docs, only to find that a Faunus had stowed away on the ship.

"Thanks for the ride guys!" he said just before leaping off the edge of the ship and onto the pier. He sprinted up to the walkway and dashed passed teams RWBY and OMega. Luckily, Blake managed to get a good look at him as he winked at her before making his escape. He was tall, with a white, unbuttoned shirt, jeans, a monkey tail, and rock-hard abs!

"I believe that would be your 'competition' Weiss," Megatron said.

"Quick, we must observe him!" she replied as she ran after him, the rest following shortly behind. They chased him around a corner, but soon came to a halt when Weiss ran into a bit of a roadblock, allowing the Faunus to escape.

"No! He got away!" Weiss exclaimed, disappointed they couldn't catch up.

"Uh, Weiss?" Yang said, pointing to thee 'roadblock' Weiss ran into. Turned out that the roadblock was in fact a _person!_ Weiss jolted up to her feet and walked back to her team, while the girl just lay on the ground.

"Salutations!" the girl said, her tone sounding very upbeat.

"Uh, greetings," Optimus said, slightly confused.

"Are you, ok?" Yang asked, also confused, and a bit concerned.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking!" the girl said, still on the ground and as cheerful as ever. Everyone looked to each other, all with the same thought, 'what's with this girl?'

"Do you wanna get up?" Yang asked. The girl thought for a moment.

"Yes!" she said, still happy as can be. She then reached her hands behind her head and thrust herself upward. She was like a spring on sugar. Everyone stepped back when she faced them, except for Optimus.

"My name is Optimus Prime," he said, extending his arm for a handshake, "and, you are?"

"My name is Penny, it's a pleasure to meet you!" she then grabbed Optimus' hand and shook it rather vigorously. She still had that sweet smile on her face. The others then introduced themselves.

"Hi Penny, I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, receiving a bump to the arm from Blake. "Oh, I'm Yang!" However, Megatron remained silent.

"You gonna introduce yourself Megs?" Yang asked the unamused tyrant.

"I didn't come here to make friends," Megatron responded.

"Don't be like that!" Yang said, lightly pushing Megatron.

"Ugh, fine," Megatron scoffed, "I am Megatron."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny repeated.

"Didn't you already say that?" Optimus asked, receiving a wall-eyed look from Penny.

"Yes, yes I did." She responded.

"Well, we're sorry to cause you all this trouble," Optimus apologized as he, and the others, began to walk away, "see you around, friend." Friend: now that was something Penny heard rarely. Especially when it's directed towards her.

"That girl was rather, how should I put it, _unusual_ ," Megatron commented.

"I have to agree with you on this one, Megatron. I felt something _off_ about her," Optimus added.

"Like what?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not sure exactly, but she seemed almost unnatural, like she's some kind of- _WOAH!_ " Before Optimus could finish speaking, he was knocked onto back by Penny's sudden appearance. It was as if she just teleported in front of them. Weiss was having a hard time comprehending how Penny got in front of them so fast.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked, looming over Optimus, as he was still on the ground.

"I-I don't know what you mean." Optimus responded, confused at the events currently transpiring.

"You called me 'friend'!" Penny said, "am I really your friend?" The others darted behind Penny, making sure that only Optimus would see them, and began to make gestures that said "NO!" Granted, Ruby was fine with Penny being their friend, and so was Optimus, but the others weren't so willing.

"I suppose so," Optimus began, "I came here on a primary mission (I think), but I do enjoy making new friends. So," Optimus then rose to his feet, "I'm glad to call you 'friend', Penny." The others fell to the ground upon hearing Optimus' decision. Penny, however, was ecstatic.

"Sensational!" Penny giggled, "Oh, we can, um… What do guys do when they hang out?"

"Well, maybe we can get to know each other a bit better before we actually plan anything like that. For starters, what are you doing in Vale?" Optimus suggested.

"That sounds like a _great_ idea!" Penny agreed excitedly, "I'm here for the tournament!" Everyone was caught off guard by this, especially Megatron.

" _You're_ fighting in the tournament!?" he questioned.

"Indeed, I am!"

"Hmph, and here I was hoping for a _worthy_ opponent to test my strength. Oh well, even if we were to fight each other in said tournament, I would beat you into submission."

"Oh, I assure you, I am very much combat ready!" Penny said, accepting Megatron's challenge.

"Wait a minute," Weiss interrupted, "if you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?" Blake scowled at Weiss for the rude comment. Looks like we're back to square one.

"The _who?_ " Penny asked.

"The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that!" Blake snapped, breaking her calm nature.

"Oh no," Optimus said, not looking forward to another debate about the Faunus.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a _person!_ "

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like me to stop referring to the trashcan as a trashcan, or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!" Blake demanded.

"Stop _what?_ He _clearly_ broke the law. Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"

"Alright, that's enough you two!" Optimus went unheard as Blake and Weiss continued shouting at each other.

"You ignorant little _brat!_ " Blake shouted just before walking away.

"How _dare_ you talk to me like that! I am your _teammate!_ "

"I said that's enough!" Optimus was still ignored.

" _You_ are a judgmental little girl!" Blake insulted.

"What in the world makes you say that!?" Weiss retorted. Optimus clenched his fists, not willing to tolerate this any longer. His body began to glow red as his truck-like armor formed around his body.

"You girls might want to step back. Prime tends to get a little violent when he's angry," Megatron advised, addressing Yang, Ruby, and Penny. Optimus let out a mighty roar as his super mode came flying down towards him. His leg extensions and jetpack latched themselves onto his body and his visor and head fins flipped open on his head. A red beam of light shot into the sky, causing his cyber key to descend into his left cannon. The barrel split into two as it charged up. Weiss and Blake stopped arguing once they saw the spectacle before them, knowing what was gonna happen next.

" _CYBER KEY POWER!_ " Optimus shouted as two massive energy blasts from his cannons directly into the air, grabbing the attention of nearly everyone in town. Once the blasts died down, the glow on Optimus body shifted into his eyes, as they were now a fiery of red.

"I have had it with you two and your constant arguing!" he shouted as he stomped towards Blake and Weiss, a hint of fear in their eyes, "Weiss, you need to realize when you've gone too far! Your insensitivity is going to tear this team apart!"

"I…" Weiss was going to say something but was too scared to comment. The same went for Blake.

"And Blake, you should've either said something that thoroughly defended your side of the argument, or nothing at all, _not_ throw insults! You two are on the _same side,_ so stop fighting or I won't hesitate to fire upon the both of you next time. _UNDERSTAND!_ " Blake and Weiss were quiet for a moment. Optimus began to loosen up a bit, that is, until Blake tried talking against him.

"With all-do respect, _Weiss_ started this whole thing," Blake whined, receiving a scowl from Weiss.

" _I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT, I'M FINISHING IT!"_ Optimus clenched the bridge of his nose with his fingers,"(Sigh) honestly, I expected better from you two. I'm disappointed." Optimus said as his super mode and armor dispersed from his body and the glow in his eyes also disappeared. He walked away, leaving Blake and Weiss in shock at how he acted. But what stuck with them the most was when he said he was disappointed in them, because someone saying they're disappointed in you is far worse than being yelled at, and Blake and Weiss experienced both. "Come on, we're going back to the school," Optimus said, that hint of disappointment lingering in his voice.

"It was nice meeting you! That was incredible by the way!" Penny said as Ruby, Yang, Megatron, and Optimus walked away. Blake and Weiss just stood there, a massive weight of guilt put on their shoulders. They looked at each other, a saddened and guilty look on both of their faces. The entire walk back to Beacon, everyone was silent. Ruby thought of striking up a conversation, but she figured it was best not to. Weiss and Blake tried talking to Optimus again once they got back to their dorms, but he slammed the door before they could get the chance. Optimus stood in the corner of his and Megatron's room with his arms crossed, his back towards Megatron.

"You know, Prime," Megatron started, "I've seen you angry at me, but never at your friends. Why become cross with _them._ " Optimus was silent. The atmosphere was heavy in their room, _and_ in team RWBY's room as well.

It was a few minutes before Optimus responded, "In the many centuries we've been battling, Megatron, I have never seen my men argue as much as they have. Even your Decepticons got along better than this." Megatron nodded, even though Optimus couldn't see him. The two kept quiet after that, no more words were spoken for the rest of the night.

The Next Day

It was Saturday, a day for rest and relaxation. Even though things got a little out of hand last night, today could still be used to make up for hat happened. As Optimus started to wake up, he noticed something off. His eyes ere still mostly closed, but he was able to confirm that something was in front of him. Once Optimus opened his eyes further, he was startled to see that it wasn't some _thing_ , but rather, some _one_. She had a black cloak and snow-white skin with black veins running along her body. It was the same woman Optimus saw in his dream from before!

"Optimus," she said. Her voice was somewhat soothing, but at the same time, eerily vile. "Time to wake up." She then raised her hand in the air, sharp needles forming at her fingertips. She swung her hand down towards Optimus' face and… Optimus jolted out of bed covered head to tow in sweat. His breathing was heavy, as he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He looked around the room to see if that woman was still there. Luckily, Optimus was the only one in the room. He put his hand on his chest and tried calming himself down. His heart was beating a million miles an hour, something he still wasn't used to. Then a realization dawned on him.

"Wait, if I'm the only one here, then here's…" Optimus threw the covers off himself, looking around the room for his nemesis. Nothing. No trace of Megatron was found. Optimus groaned in frustration, knowing that Megatron was surely up to no good. He figured he should go look for him, but he was going to do so alone, seeing as how it was still early and everyone was sleeping in. Well, almost everyone. While Optimus was about to walk out the exit of the school, he heard footsteps behind him. But he knew who it was.

"What do you two want?" he asked softly, not wanting to get sidetracked for two long by Weiss and Blake. The two were silent for a bit, as Optimus still had his back to them. Finally, Blake spoke up.

"Optimus, we just wanted to say… (Sigh) we just wanted to say that we're sorry."

"Yeah, you were right yesterday. I had told Ruby that I would try to be the best person I could be," Weiss added, "but it seems that I'm not doing a good job. So, yeah, we're sorry." Optimus stayed silent. He pushed his hand against the door and began to walk out.

"Wait, aren't you gonna say something?" Weiss asked, expecting Optimus to forgive them. He turned around to face the two, that look of disappointment returning in his eyes.

"You still don't get it, do you," he asked.

"Get _what_?" Weiss asked. Optimus sighed and crossed his arms.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to. You two need to sort this out with _each other_ , which you clearly haven't yet." He said. Blake and Weiss looked at each other, reluctant to say anything.

"Or am I wrong?" Optimus asked, catching Blake and Weiss of guard. "Tell me I'm wrong and we'll forget about this whole thing." The two teammates looked down, guilt written all over their faces.

"No… we haven't," Blake spoke quietly, her bow drooping down like a pair of cat ears.

"Well that's just Prime," Optimus responded as he walked out the exit, not looking back at the two. They wanted to say something, but they couldn't find the words. Instead, they just looked on in silence as Optimus took to the skies in his super mode.

(…)

If one would pay attention to their surroundings, they would notice a tall, menacing figure roaming the town in full armaments. That figure was Megatron. The question is, what was he doing?

'Hmm, they should have been here by now,' Megatron thought, referring to the other Decepticons. 'Those blundering idiots had better not be lost, because if they are…' His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a clang behind him. A trashcan he'd walked by was now lying on its side.

"Who's there?" he questioned, summoning his energy sword. "Show yourself!" Eventually, a familiar , feminine figure came out from the alleyway. Megatron's 'stalker' was revealed to be none other than Yang Xiao Long!

"Alright, you got me," she said, "what are you gonna do now?" Megatron's sword dissipated as he started to walk away.

"I have no time for chit-chat," he said sternly. Yang then dashed in front of him, blocking his path.

"Oh, come on, I thought you liked me!" Yang argued. Megatron scowled at her. Yang smiled back.

"(Sigh) what do you want, Yang?"

"I just wanted to know what you were up to when you left."

"I see. So, you've been stalking me?" Megs asked.

"What, no of course not! I've just been following you without your knowledge." Yang began to tap her fingers together. Megatron raised an eyebrow, giving her that 'uh-huh' look.

"Very well," Megatron said, "you may tag along. Your lucky I'm starting to get used to your company." Yang smiled as she locked her arm with Megatron, receiving a confused look from him.

'It must be an Earth thing. I'll go with it for now,' he thought as the two walked off, a grin on Yang's face. They walked for a bit in silence, with Megatron not wanting to talk at the moment and Yang thinking of as many questions for him as possible.

"So," she said, receiving a light groan form Megatron, "how do you form those swords? Is it your semblance?"

"My what?" Megatron questioned.

"You know, your semblance. It's like your own superpower. Everyone has one, but some haven't found them yet."

"Really. Well, if you must know. My swords are formed through my aura, which was enhanced when I absorbed the power of Unicron," Megatron boasted, remembering how he managed to singlehandedly control a _god_.

"What's a Unicron?" Yang asked, a bit confused.

" _Unicron_ is not a thing. He is a god incarnate; a being who had the power to decimate entire worlds!" Yang was left in shock. She couldn't believe that such a being could even _exist!_

"But, there's no such thing as _gods_! R-right?" She asked, beginning to question her own beliefs.

"Allow me to educate you my friend," Megatron said as he and Yang sat down on a nearby bench. Yang scooched in closer to Megatron, growing curious about this 'Unicron.'

"Eons ago," Megatron began, "there existed two beings: Primus and Unicron. Primus was a god of piece and light. He sought to spread knowledge and life across the galaxy. Unicron, however, was a god of destruction and chaos. He only wanted to bring about the destruction of everything in existence. He was given the title of 'planet eater' seeing as how he consumed all in his path. I witnessed his rampage firsthand." Megatron thought back to how Unicron wiped out his entire army begore he could even finish transforming. Yang was growing fearful of Megatron's story, still trying to comprehend how someone could have so much power.

"What happened?" she asked. Megatron was about to tell her how Unicron almost destroyed his planet but thought it best to remain undercover. So, he decided to twist the story.

"Many centuries before you were born, Unicron came to this planet, seeking to devour it. However, in this moment of chaos and terror, Optimus and I…"

"Wait," Yang interrupted, "you're saying that you and Optimus are over a _hundred years old!_ " Megatron mentally face palmed. He thought he'd blown his cover. Luckily, Megatron was quite cunning.

"We've found a way to preserve our lifespans for many millennia. I'll explain later," he lied. He began to sweat as Yang looked at him with suspicion.

"… Cool!" she said, her usual grin returning on her face. Megatron nearly fell off the bench at her response. But he retained his composure and continued the story.

"A-anyway, in this moment of chaos, Optimus and I had no other choice but to join forces. I'll admit, I was a bit, how should I say, stubborn at first. But I was convinced to help eventually."

"What convinced you?" Yang asked. Megatron new this would come up sooner or later. He hesitated for a moment, but he continued.

(Switch to 2D animation)

"One of my soldiers sacrificed himself so that Optimus and I would cease our conflict with each other. Before he died, he told me that all he ever wanted from me was my approval and respect. He said that no matter how many battles he fought, I always found fault in him. He said he saw that Optimus treated his men like family, and that he was a leader of integrity, unlike me. He made on last stand against Unicron, using the last of his power to fire upon him. But… Unicron got to Starscream first. He was destroyed before his attack could even reach Unicron." Megatron then felt something he hadn't felt since Starscream had been destroyed. Sadness. But he also felt something physical. It was Yang, she was hugging him, a single tear could be seen flowing from her eye. She was moved by Megatron's story.

"I'm so sorry Megatron. At least his death wasn't in vein." Megatron looked at Yang. She could see a look of regret in his eyes. He regretted that he could've prevented the death of his best soldier, but didn't.

"It was in vein," he said solemnly.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Another being used his power to resurrect Starscream… as his slave." The two stayed silent for almost a full minute. Yang had released her grip on him after a while and Megatron looked to the sky, remembering all that Starscream said to him before he died. At last, after two whole minutes of silence, Yang spoke up.

"Megatron, I-I…"

"Leave me," Megatron said, his voice low and quiet, yet still intimidating. Yang, realizing that Megatron needed some time alone, gave him one last hug and walked off.

(Switch to 3D animation)

Later

Optimus had been searching for hours for Megatron. Blake and Weiss had told Ruby that Optimus was in town, so she decided to help him.

"Where do you think he would be?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not sure. I just hope we can find him soon," Optimus replied.

"Well, it's getting late and (yawn) I'm pretty tired," Ruby said, wanting some sleep later. Optimus, however, was not so easily deterred. He knew the risks of letting Megatron loose, and he was determined to find him before anything happened.

"You can head back to the academy if you want, but I'm staying here," Optimus said.

"And _I'm_ also here!" a cheerful voice said from behind, startling Ruby and Optimus.

"Ah, Penny! Where'd you come from?" Ruby asked, confused as to how Penny snuck up on them like that.

"What are you up to, friends?" she asked, bliss written all over her face.

"We're busy looking for Megatron. I can't risk him being on the loose like this," Optimus explained.

"Why not?" Penny questioned.

"Yeah, why _do_ you always have an eye on him?" Ruby added.

"Because he's dangerous!" Optimus said, "if he wanted to, he could level this whole kingdom! I don't mind you helping us look for him, Penny, but just know that what you're getting into is bigger than you think." Suddenly, a loud explosion went off, creating a smoke cloud in the distance.

"What was that!?" Penny questioned.

"Whatever it is, we'd better go check it out. Come on!" Ruby instructed as she and Penny started running towards the explosion. Meanwhile, Optimus swiftly activated his super mode, which both Penny and Ruby still saw as a sight to behold.

"Incredible!" Penny said.

"Yeah, he does this a lot," Ruby added.

"Hop on," Optimus said, insisting they climb onto his back, "flying _is_ a much faster mode of transportation." And faster it was, seeing as how the three made it to the source of the explosion in no time flat at the docs. What they saw next shocked them. Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Megatron were all fighting Faunus from the White Fang, as well as a man with orange hair, a white coat, and a black hat with a feather inn it.

"Hey, it's that Torchwick guy!" Ruby said as Optimus landed on one of the crates, allowing them to climb off his back.

"Well well, if it isn't little Red. I see you've brought some new friends!" Roman said as he pointed his cane at the three. A small rocket then came flying out of it at high speeds. Fortunately, Optimus and the others managed to get out of the way in time as they jumped down to Roman's level at the docs.

"Prime, what are you doing here!?" Megatron shouted as he punched one of the Faunus in the face, sending him flying into a crate. Optimus ran to his nemesis' side after activating his super mode.

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Optimus retorted as he kicked one of the other Faunus into the air.

"It's a long story!" Megatron said, remembering how this all started, despite the commotion.

Earlier

Megatron, still sitting at the bench, finally managed to get a hold of himself.

"Argh, what am I doing?" he said to himself, "I'm _Megatron_ , I shouldn't be mourning the death of one soldier!" Megatron then looked up to the sky and noticed that night had snuck up on him. He stood up and decided to head back to Beacon. However, he was put to a stop when he saw Weiss, Blake, and Yang approaching him. He groaned as he walked towards them, expecting to hear another debate from Weiss and Blake. But this wasn't the case.

"Megatron, have you seen Optimus anywhere?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, we need to talk to him!" Weiss added. Megatron then looked at Yang with a disapproving frown.

"Ugh, ok, I know you wanted me to leave you alone, but they kinda need your help," Yang defended herself. Megatron's expression softened up a bit as he looked back at Weiss and Blake.

"I don't think he wants to take to you. Not unless you've settled things properly," he said. Weiss put her arms behind her back and Blake scratched her head, signaling that they had made no progress with each other. "Hmph, pathetic. Of course, you two wouldn't make up, you're both to stubborn," Megatron insulted.

"Wha- How dare you! I am _not_ pathetic or stubborn!" Weiss snapped.

"Then prove it," Megatron commanded. Weiss scowled at him.

"Fine, I will!" she said as she looked at Blake, "Blake Belladonna, I apologize for acting out at you! See, I'm cooperative!"

"Alright," Blake said, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have insulted you the way I did. I didn't really mean it." Weiss' attention returned to her teammate, her look of anger turning into one of surprise.

"R-really?" she questioned.

"Yeah, I guess so," Blake said.

"W-well, I suppose I was out of line. I shouldn't accuse people of things based off what other people do. Human or Faunus." Blake smiled at Weiss, and Weiss smiled back. Yang then put her arm on Megatron's shoulder.

"You tricked them, didn't you?" she asked.

"Haha, I might be a bit of a brute, but I'm still as cunning as ever." He chuckled. However, this touching moment was cut short when a light aircraft flew overhead, three more following close behind. And on the back end of the aircrafts was a symbol that struck fear into the hearts of most Humans, and some Faunus: the symbol of the White Fang.

"Welp, that's not good," Yang said as she and the others sprinted towards where the helicopters were headed. Their destination was the docs, where multiple shipping containers of Schnee Dust had been unloaded. There were multiple Faunus from the White Fang stepping out of the first copter to land, but what really caught everyone's attention was the fact that a _human_ was with them. Not only that, but he was barking out orders to them, and they were complying!

"Something's not right, the White Fang would never work with a human," Blake said.

"Then why don't we find out why they're doing it," Megatron said as he leapt down to where the White Fang were at, catching their attention.

"What the- Oh for the love of…" the human complained as he pointed his cane at Megatron and fired a rocket from it. The blast hit Megatron dead on, leaving a small fire where he was standing. The man watched with an evil smirk on his face, convinced Megatron was taken care of. How wrong he was. Megatron stomped through the flames unscathed, as if the blast was a light breeze. His footsteps shook the ground beneath them, and his eyes began to glow red.

"Now. I'm. _MAD!_ " Megatron shouted as he raised his hand in the air, a barrage of lightning temporarily stunning the Faunus. He purposefully missed the human, but only so that he could have the pleasure of kicking his butt himself. The others ran to his side shortly after his attack.

"Give it up, guy, we outnumber you ten to one," Yang said, readying her gauntlets.

"Oh, I don't think so!" the man said as the other copters descended to the ground, more Faunus running out to the docs. Megatron summoned his energy sword, his eyes now glowing brighter than before.

"Make my day!" he said as the four charged at the White Fang.

Now

Optimus and Megatron were now back to back, Optimus using his super mode to ward off the attackers, while Megatron relied on his lightning and own two fists. Roman saw that teams RWBY and OMega were winning by a landslide and thought that now was the time to make his escape.

"Well it's been fun, but I'm afraid I must bid you farewell!" he said as he ran to one of the helicopters.

"He's getting away!" Optimus said as he charged up his thrusters. But Megatron grabbed hold of his shoulder and gave him a look. Yeah, _that_ look. The one that says, 'I've.' Suddenly, an orange and red portal appeared directly above Roman. It was one of Megatron's warp gates! And from it came four oddly familiar humans. Their screaming caught Roman's attention as they fell directly on him.

"What the- _OOF!"_ Roman was being crushed by their sheer weight

"Ow, what happened? Wait, where's Ransack!?" the big, bulky human said. He had a buzzcut with an underbite, green hair, a green tank-top, and camo pants. He was also on the very top of the pile of people, sitting right on one of them.

" _CRUMPLEZONE! GET YER BUTT OFF ME!"_ one of them shouted in a southern accent. He had a cowboy hat, a grey shirt, boots, and a grey cape.

"Thundercracker, that you?" Crumplezone, the big one, asked.

"No, it's Starscream," Thundercracker said sarcastically, " _OF COURSE IT'S THUNDERCRACKER DUMMY!"_ Then another voice came from someone underneath Thundercracker.

"Oh, my head hurts," he said, a Jersey accent in his voice.

"RANSACK! You're okay little buddy!" Crumplezone cheered as he hugged the short one. He had on a red jacket, a red cap with fins on the sides, and black stripes beneath his eyes.

" _HEY, LET GO A' ME, I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!"_ Ransack shouted.

"It's me, Crumplezone!"

"Crumplezone!? What happened to you, you're human!?" Ransack pointed out.

"Whaddya mean I'm… _HOLY SLAG WE'RE HUMANS!_ " the realization dawns upon him like a rising sun on the horizon.

" _I DON'T CARE IF YA'LL ARE A BUNCHA RATS, JUST GET OFF ME ALREADY!"_ Thundercracker pleaded.

"Forget you, where's my Megatron!?" the female of the group shouted. She had silver hair, high heels, yellow skin-tight pants, a grey jacket, and a shirt that left her stomach exposed. She also had a pair of purple cat ears.

"Thunderblast?" the other three guessed in unison.

"Who else would it be, you morons. Now get off me so we can find my boyfriend!"

"You know, it's really kind of a one-sided relationship," Crumplezone said.

"Oh, _shut up_ Wideload," Thunderblast retorted.

"Who you callin' Wideload!?"

"If you four are done up there, I would greatly appreciate it if you would _STOP CRUSHING EVERY BONE IN MY BODY!_ " a slightly muffled voice said at the bottom of the pile.

"Uh, who said that?" Thundercracker asked, not recalling a fifth person joining them.

"Down here!" It was Roman, who was now presumably flat as a pancake. A few feet away, Megatron face palmed as Yang put her arm on his right shoulder, leaning on him.

"About time you showed up!" he said, grabbing their attention.

" _MEGATRON!_ " the four shouted with glee as they dashed to their leader. However, Thunderblast stopped mid-sprint once she saw Yang leaning on her 'boyfriend.' Her left eye began to twitch, and so did her head. You could practically see the steam coming out of her ears as her whole face turned red.

"Hey, Thunderblast, you okay?" Ransack asked, only to be punched in the face by a very, _very_ furious Thunderblast.

"Megatron, sugar, who is _this_?" she asked, reaching for her rocket launcher, which was strapped onto her back.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," Megatron sighed, "this is Yang, one of my allies that I've made during my time here."

"Sup," Yang said, not the least bit freaked out that four people just fell out of the sky. Optimus, on the other hand, was frozen in shock. "So, who are you?" Yang asked, only for Thunderblast to yank Megatron away from Yang and into her arms.

"I'm Megatron's _girlfriend,_ thank you very much!"

"I swear to Primus, I'm going to frag you!" Megatron threatened.

"Oh, please do!" Thunderblast purred, receiving a disgusted look from Megatron.

"(Sigh) allow me to introduce my, er, 'team'." Megatron said, as he pried himself from Thunderblast's grip.

"Howdy," Thundercracker said as he tipped his hat to the others.

"Yo," Ransack and Crumplezone said as they crossed their arms and leaned up against each other's backs, with Ransack struggling to support his massive friend.

"Any of you make a move on my Megatron I'll tear you apart!" Thunderblast said menacingly.

"Well isn't that just reassuring," Blake commented, grabbing the attention of Ransack and Crumplezone. To any normal person, they would just see some girl, but to the two velocitronians, they saw a beauty amongst peasants, with a pink background and everything. Hearts formed in their eyes as they zoomed towards her, almost causing her to fall on her back.

"Well _hellooo_ gorgeous!" the two would-be racers said, making Blake uncomfortable. They didn't know why, but for some reason, they were attracted to a human! Or, rather, a Faunus. During the scuffle, Blake's bow came off, but no one realized it since four strangers just came from a portal in the sky. But while they were busy talking, they failed to realize the Torchwick had made a quick recovery and had his cane pointed at Optimus.

"End of the road, pal!" Roman took one last shot at them before getting in one of the Helicopters, making his escape. Optimus backhanded the blast, sending the explosion to one of the crates. He aimed his cannons at the helicopter Roman was in, but he was already too far away.

"He got away again," Ruby said, disappointed as she walked to Optimus' side. Prime's super mode dissipated as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll get him next time," he said, "but for now," Optimus walked over to Blake and Weiss, expecting to see that same guilty look on their faces. To his surprise, they actually looked relieved.

"Optimus Prime," Weiss began, "I'm glad to say that we've put aside our differences and have made up with each other."

"For now, anyways," Blake added. Optimus smiled under his faceplate and, while the two couldn't see it, they knew he was smiling. And they smiled back.

"Good, I'm proud of you. And maybe I was a bit harsh last night, so I'm sorry too," Prime admitted.

"So, um, can you get these two away from me please?" Blake asked Optimus, referring of course to Ransack and Crumplezone who were still swooning over her.

"With pleasure!" Optimus said as he grabbed the two speedsters bu the collars and threw them at Thundercracker and Thunderblast, recreating the dogpile they made from earlier.

" _NOT AGAIN!"_ Thundercracker complained as he was now at the bottom of the pile, while everyone else continued to laugh it up as the night went on.

(…)

Elsewhere, in an abandoned warehouse, Torchwick was left sulking in the darkness, frustrated that he was bested by Ruby Rose once again.

"How very disappointing, Roman," a female voice said from the shadows.

"Woah!" Roman shouted as he turned to face the source of the voice, "wasn't expecting to see you four so soon."

"We were expecting more from you," the supposed leader of the group said. She was shorter than Roman and looked to be the same age as Yang or Blake. She had short, black hair and was wearing a red and gold dress. Here amber eyes almost seemed to glow in the darkness. Then there were the other three. One of them was a shorter, dark-skinned female. She had green hair and a suit that exposed a good amount of her body. The other two were male, with one of them wearing a blue and grey suit, matching his silver hair.

The other male frightened Torchwick as he stepped along side the first female. He had a purple, torn-up jacket with a black shirt and tattered jeans. His hair was a spiked mess of green and purple. On his shirt was what looked to be a purple 'v' shape, as well as a strange symbol. It was the exact same symbol that was on Megatron's shirt. But what stuck out the most about him was his limbs. Instead of normal, organic appendages, his were mechanical and clunky. His legs had pointed kneecaps, with tank treads on his calves and large, boot-like feet. One arm was slender and jagged, with a metal claw on the end being covered by a green shield. The other arm was a massive, green cannon, just waiting to be used to obliterate an entire town. And on his face was a metal patch covering his eye, as well as antennae jutting out from where his ears should be.

"H-hey, _you_ were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang!" Roman said.

"And you will continue to do so," the girl in the red dress said, "unless you want me to let my partner loose on you." She locked her arm with the cold, metallic one attached to the intimidating cyborg and placed her hand on his chest. The cyborg let out an evil grin, revealing his jagged teeth. His one, emerald eye glowed as electricity formed at the end of his cannon arm.

"Fine," Roman said, knowing he was defeated, "I'll cooperate as long as you keep your little boyfriend on a leash!" The cyborg raised his cannon at Torchwick, not appreciating his 'suggestion.'

"No one puts _me_ on a leash," he said. His voice was that of a murderer. A psychopath. It was practically oozing with insanity. "Got it?" Roman knew he couldn't win this round, especially when you're in the ring with someone who's mentally unstable.

"Got it," Roman replied, retaining his composure.

"Good," the girl said, "we have big plans for you Roman."


	8. Chapter 9

Hey, Vector Convoy here! Before we start this next chapter, I just wanted to say thanks to SilverSpark xXPrimeXx for helping me with chapter 6. I was genuinely stumped with it, but they proved to be a great help. Anyway, onto chapter 7, Vector Convoy out!

Chapter 7

New Semester, New Troubles

Lunchtime, probably the best part about _any_ school. Well, except for Beacon, of course. But, still, it is a time to relax and catch up with friends. And teams RWBY, JNPR, and OMega were doing just that as Yang was poking around in Blake's notebook.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked, trying to get a closer look at her notebook.

"Nothing," Blake said, hastily closing her notebook, "just looking over notes from last semester."

"Lame," Yang commented before catching a grape in her mouth, to which Nora flung at her. But while Nora was getting a kick out of it, Megatron wasn't so amused. Seeing as who he'd never eaten food in his life, he was rather disgusted. And he had the discomfort of sitting next to Yang, so he had to witness it all.

"How revolting," Megatron said as Yang caught another grape in her mouth.

"What, haven't you ever seen someone eating before?" Yang asked, bumping Megatron with her elbow. Thunderblast, who was sitting across from Yang, was tempted to sprint back to her dorm room, grab her rocket launcher, and blast Yang into oblivion. Ever since the Decepticons showed up, Megatron had them enrolled as huntsmen and huntress in Beacon under the team name of CRTT (curtain).

"I've never had to consume food, nor have I seen it been done until we came here," Megatron replied.

"What, how?" Weiss asked, trying to understand how he survives without food or water. Megatron froze. Once again, he almost blew his cover, but lucky for him, Optimus stepped in.

"Uh, we discovered a mineral back home called Energon. It allows us to survive without food or water, so long as we take regular doses of it every few decades," he explained, receiving an intrigued look from Weiss.

"Wait, does this 'Energon' resemble a glowing red-orange stone that shocks you when you touch it?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, how'd you…"

"Some of the workers for the Schnee Dust Company found the _motherload_ of the stuff a few years ago. The people we've sold it too tried figuring out how to power their machines with it, but I've heard that the mineral had too much energy and overloaded their equipment." Optimus was surprised that something as valuable as Energon would be here on Remnant.

"Hmph, of course you wouldn't know how to use it," Megatron scoffed, "Energon is a substance with more power than you can imagine. Why do you think Optimus and I are so powerful!"

"Hey, we're powerful too!" Crumplezone said, trying to look tough. The other Decepticons tried doing the same, what with them flexing their muscles and what not, but they only looked like sorry try-hards. Suddenly, Ruby slammed a giant notebook onto the table titled "Best Day Ever Activities."

"What's all this," Optimus asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" Ruby responded before giving an epic speech, "sisters, friends, Weiss."

"Hey!" Weiss called out, not appreciating Ruby's insult. However, Ruby _did_ get a light chuckle from Megatron.

"…And Megatron!" Megatron's chuckle became a growl.

"Fore score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream!" Ruby continued.

"Oh boy," Optimus sighed.

"This ought to be good," Yang commented just before she caught another grape in her mouth.

"A dream that, one day, the six of us would come together as two teams combined to have the most fun _anyone has ever had, EVER!_ "

"Oh? And what exactly did you have in mind?" Optimus asked.

"I am once again glad you asked, because we're gonna kick this semester off with a bang!"

"I always kick _my_ semesters off with a _yang!_ " Yang joked, receiving laughs from no one. Even Megatron hated it, and he called Thrust 'Squid-head!' Nora even threw a tomato at her from the next table down. Little did they realize that that tomato would be the start of a _war_!

"Hey what about us?" Ransack asked, wanting to be included.

"Yeah, ya'll can't leave us out!" Thundercracker added. Meanwhile, Yang grabbed an apple and threw it at Nora, slightly escalating the soon-to-be war.

"Oh, fine! You guys can join us," Ruby sighed, to which the Cons all jumped for joy in typical, freezeframe style. "Anyway," Ruby said, continuing her speech, "it's been a good two weeks and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end off the year, our second semester is going to be _great!_ But, classes start tomorrow, which is why I have taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today!" Optimus then stood up next to Ruby and put his hand on her shoulder.

"You know, I've been fighting for so long that I haven't been able to take a break for a bit, so I say- _BLEPH!"_ Optimus' speech was interrupted by a pie being thrown at his face by a certain hammer-girl. Optimus whipped the pie off his face and looked at Nora, ho tried pinning it on Ren.

"Alright, so I guess _that_ 's how it's gonna be then. Well prepare yourself for the ultimate battle royale!" Optimus' armor then formed around his body as he picked up the salad on Blake's plate, getting ready for battle. Team JNPR hid under their table, all with nervous grins on their faces. This as _war! (EPIC BWAAA SOUND EFFECT)_

(…)

Just outside of the cafeteria, two of the new exchange students were walking towards the entrance of the food warzone. One of them had a crimson jacket, blue jeans, yellow goggles, and sky- blue hair. His name was Neptune. The other guy was somewhat familiar. He was the Faunus who snuck aboard that boat the day before Roman attacked. He'd seen the whole fight between teams RWBY and OMega and the White Fang.

"Huh, no kidding?" Neptune said, marveling at the monkey Faunus', who's name was Sun, story.

"Yeah, and then a jetpack came out of nowhere and attached itself to the guy with the mask and he blew everyone away! Not only that, but the girl I winked at from the day before was there. She was swinging her swords left and right, and the best part is that she's a _Faunus!"_

"Woah, really?"

"Yeah, her bow came off during the fight, it as _AWESOME!_ I can't wait to meet these guys in _person!_ Oh, and when we do, try to be cool."

"Dude," Neptune said, striking a pose that was just dripping with coolness.

"Fair point," Sun admitted as they opened the doors to the mess hall, which was more of a mess than it should be. All the students were running and screaming out of the building, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire between Team CRTT, who sided with Megatron, Team RWBY, who sided with Optimus, and Team JNPR, who were on their own. Sun and Neptune watched as Megatron stood on a pile of tables, with Thunderblast clinging to his leg and the other Decepticons in full body-armor at the ground.

Ransack had large boots with wheels on the sides, as well as a backpack with a larger wheel on it. Crumplezone had a blue cockpit on his chest, as well as green, gorilla arms with wheels and twin shoulder cannons. Thunderblast had a large backpack resembling wings and a rocket launcher in hand. And Thundercracker had an _actual_ pair of wings in his back, as well as an orange cockpit on his chest.

" _HAHAHAHAHA!_ Feast your eyes on the _true_ emperor of the dark side," Megatron cackled, " _MY NAME IS MEGATRON!"_

" _THEN LET'S GET DOWN TO BUISINESS!_ " Optimus shouted, "our victory will be _sweet, both figuratively, AND LITERALLY!"_

" _DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!"_ Megatron commanded.

" _HUNTRESSES, CHARGE!"_ Optimus ordered.

" _OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"_ Nora shouted violently as her teammates all launched watermelons at the other teams.

"Yang, _turkey!"_ Ruby ordered as Yang slid two turkeys onto her fists as if they were her gauntlets and began to smash the melons left and right.

"Ransack, _breadsticks!_ Thundercracker, _banana bombardment!"_ Megatron barked asRansack grabbed a comically large breadstick and began to bat away at the incoming watermelons, while Thundercracker grabbed a bunch of bananas, flew into the air, and dropped them onto team JNPR. Luckily for them, they managed to avoid the attack. Well, all except for Jaune, who was now covered head to toe in bananas. Blake then grabbed two breadsticks and charged at Ransack, still defending their 'base' from the rest of the melons. He turned around too late as Blake smacked him with the breadsticks, sending him flying into the wall.

"Hey, nobody picks on Ransack!" Crumplezone shouted as he loaded his twin cannons with fruit, aiming them at Blake. "How about a fruit smoothie! _CYBER KEY POWER!"_ Crumplezone's cyber key crashed through the roof and inserted itself into his back, allowing him to activate his weapons. Before he could fire, Yang threw her turkeys into both of his cannons, causing them to backfire. Fruit juice exploded everywhere onto Crumplezone. He was barely recognizable, covered in apples, melons, and grapes.

"Thanks," Blake said, before blocking an attack from Pyrrha, who was also using a breadstick as a spear. They met each other's blows with their high-carb weapons as if they were swords, with Pyrrha doing backflips ant twirls, slashing at Blake, and Blake violently swinging at Pyrrha, desperately trying to land a hit. Pyrrha then threw her weapon at Blake, knocking her back. Yang engaged in the battle, only to be knocked down as well by another one of Pyrrha's breadsticks of doom. Fortunately, Optimus was there to lend a hand. He flew in with his super mode and launched an onslaught of tomatoes from his cannons, each of them hitting the magnetic huntress dead-on.

Thundercracker also joined in on this fight, charging at Optimus with a table in hand!

" _WOAH!_ " Optimus shouted as the seeker smashed the table over his head, which, seeing as how this is Optimus Prime we're talking about, it had little to no effect. Thundercracker let out a nervous laugh, knowing that he was in for it now as Optimus cracked his knuckles and blasted Thundercracker with his cannons, sticking him to the wall with the tomato paste.

"Ugh, I just can't catch a break, can I?" Thundercracker sighed, still stuck to the wall.

"Alright, my turn," Thunderblast said, loading apples and pears into her rocket launcher, " _CYBER KEY POWER!"_ Her cyber key inserted itself into the back of her weapon, transforming her rocket launcher into one giant cannon. The transformation process churned and crushed the fruits, grinding them into pulp. She fired her new fruit smoothie cannon towards Blake and Yang, the juice slamming them into one of the pillars, causing it to crumble.

"Blake and Yang are down, now's our chance," Ren said, tossing Nora a metal pole, to which she stabbed a watermelon with, creating a fruit hammer. She then smashed open two of the vending machines, releasing all the soda cans from within. Pyrrha leapt onto the mountain of cans and activated her semblance. She lifted the cans into the air and sent a massive wave of them at Weiss. She did her best to avoid them, but several of them hit her, rendering her down for the count. Ruby, due to her speed, managed to avoid all of them, as did Optimus who landed beside her.

"Shall we finish this?" he asked, extending his hand to Ruby. She took his hand with a grin on her face and determination in her eyes.

"Once and for all!" Megatron also landed beside them, surprise them with his presence. The turbined on Optimus' back began to rev up and Ruby activated her semblance, small rose pedals forming at her feet and cloak. The two charged at their remaining opponents at super-sonic speeds, a trail of soda cans, fruit, vegetables, meats, and plates following behind them.

"Ah slag!" the cons said in unison, preparing for the oncoming hurricane that was Optimus and Ruby.

" _TWIN TURBINE ATTACK!"_ The two noble leaders zoomed passed them, hand in hand, sending the food and silverware flying in the cons and team JNPR's direction.

"Optimus, we're moving too fast!" Ruby shouted. She was right, she and Optimus were going to fly straight through the wall! Luckily for them, Optimus was good at coming up with plans on the fly. He angled their trajectory to the ground, making a crash landing. They rolled to a halt just a few feet away from where the food-cyclone was headed. The sheer force of the tornado smashed the cons and JNPR into the wall. All you could make out from them now was a splatter of colors from the fruit and multi-colored silhouettes stuck to the wall. Optimus and Ruby looked at their handy work, then to each other. Optimus wanted to get up, but he was unable to, due to Ruby being on top of him. Their faces turned red when their eyes made contact, realizing their current position. But, after a moment of silence, Ruby began to laugh, as did Optimus.

"Haha, I haven't had fun like this in _ages_!" Optimus said, still laughing along with Ruby.

"Hehehe, yeah, that was fun," Ruby chuckled. Once they stopped laughing they just stayed on the ground for a few seconds, smiling at each other and, for the first time in centuries, Optimus felt at peace. It felt good, not having to worry about saving the world or fighting the Decepticons for a while. After a while, Ruby broke the silence.

"Hey, um, Optimus?" she said rather timidly.

"Yeah, what is it?" Optimus asked, still grinning under his mask

"I… I think…" Ruby was cut short, however, when Megatron stepped in.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Megatron said sarcastically.

"Well, there goes that momentary peace," Optimus said, rolling his eyes.

"Aw, did I ruin the moment?" Megatron retorted. Their conversation, thankfully, didn't last long as they were interrupted when the doors to the entrance of the very messy mess hall swung open, letting in an extremely upset Glynda. She took one look at the mess the four teams made, and was disappointed. She raised her wand in the air and rearranged everything in its proper order. She had fixed the plates, the vending machines, the _wall,_ and disposed of everyone's lunch.

"Children, please! Do _not_ play with your food!" she said sternly, looking over the teams and just how much of a mess they made of each other.

"Let it go," Ozpin said, walking up to Glynda.

"They're supposed to be the defenders of the _world_ ," she argued.

"And they will be," Ozpin said calmly, "but right now, they're still children. So, why not let them play the part." Yang gave them a bright smile and a thumb's up when she and the others saw them, and Nora just burped loudly.

"Uh, Ruby?" Optimus said, getting her attention, "do you think you can get off me, please?" Ruby's face turned red again as she jolted to her feet, looking away from Optimus in embarrassment. Optimus' face turned slightly red as well, but it was covered by his mask.

"U-uh, sorry about that," Ruby said rather bashfully.

"I-it's fine, really. No harm no fowl," Optimus reassured, making Ruby feel a bit better. Meanwhile, after her recovery, Thunderblast sprinted towards Megatron, relieved for him to have made it through this battle unscathed. However, she stopped mid-sprint when she saw Yang walking up to Megatron.

"That was some fight, huh 'your highness'?" Yang teased.

"Hmph, you weren't too bad yourself, my dear," he replied, earning a grin from Yang.

"Ooh, so now you're calling _me_ names? Does that mean I can call you 'babe' from now on?" Yang suggested, winking at him.

"Don't push it," he said coldly as he looked away from Yang. Yet a small grin could be seen on his face as he did, and it didn't go unnoticed by Yang. It wasn't an evil one, but rather, a content one. This only made Thunderblast hate Yang even more. She wanted to shoot Yang here and now, but she hesitated.

'Oh no, what if I hit Megatron in the process? I… I can't do it!' she thought, putting her rocket launcher away. For now, all she could do was watch Megatron and Yang walk off together.

"Think she's okay?" Crumplezone asked his fellow Decepticons.

"I don't care, as long as I don't get hurt in the process," Ransack answered, leaning against Crumplezone's leg.

(…)

Meanwhile, in a place far from Beacon, two of the figures who 'spoke' with Roman a few weeks ago could be seen walking into that same abandoned warehouse from before. There were tons of Faunus from the White Fang unloading boxes of stolen dust.

"Oh look, they sent their kids again," Roman said as the two people, known as Emerald and Mercury, walked up to him, "This is turning out just like the _divorce_." Roman then trapped them in a headlock, making them highly uncomfortable.

"Spare us the thought of you procreating," Emerald said, prying Roman's arm from her head.

"That was a _joke_ , and _this_ ," he said, pulling out a piece of paper, "just might tell me where you two have been all day!" Emerald saw the paper and checked her pockets, trying to figure out how he snagged it.

"I'm a professional, sweetheart. Pay attention, and _maybe_ you'll learn something. Why do you have this address?"

"That's none of your business, _human!_ " a voice said from atop one of the many dust-filled crates. His voice nearly paralyzed Roman. He slowly turned around to face the figure above him, his hands slightly trembling.

"Shockblast! You're here too?" he asked nervously as Shockblast jumped down from the crates.

"I've _been_ here," he said, his lone eye glowing a striking green, "where _they've_ been is none of your concern" Roman could see the electricity forming around the barrel of Shockblast's cannon, "but it _is_ mine." A look of worry formed on Mercury and Emerald's faces. They knew what Shockblast was capable of, and they dared not to question him.

"We were just taking care of a little rat problem Torchwick had," Emerald explained as Shockblast walked over to them.

"I think he was more of a cat, actually," Mercury said.

"What, like a Puma?" Emerald added.

"There you go!" Shockblast stomped his cybernetic foot onto the ground, breaking up their conversation.

"Did _Cinder_ and I not tell you to stay out of trouble? Listen next time, or else you'll end up like this guy." Shockblast then pointed his cannon at an unsuspecting Faunus. He averted his attention too late as Shockblast fired his cannon, creating a massive hole in his torso. The Faunus fell to the ground, smoke coming from the hole in his dead body.

"Y-yes sir," Emerald said, holding her breath out of fear.

"Hey, sparky," Roman said to Shockblast, only to receive a menacing glare from his one eye, "instead of wasting your ammo on _my troops_ , how about you get rid of the ones who attacked me a few weeks ago!"

"Tch, they're your problem, not mine," Shockblast said before walking away.

"Even if one of them was your old _master?_ " Shockblast stopped dead in his tracks. The look on Mercury and Emerald's faces went from concern to fear. "Yeah, that's right, I ran into that guy a while back. What was his name… Oh right, Mega-* _ACK*_!" Roman couldn't finish his sentence, due to his throat being crushed by Shockblast's metal claw.

"Megatron is _HERE! AND YOU LET HIM LIVE!_ " Shockblast tightened his grip on Roman's throat, lifting him into the air. Lucky for Roman, a certain flaming mistress was there to intervene.

"That's enough, dear," she said as she stepped on a platform upstairs, which descended to the ground. Shockblast released his grip on Roman, letting him fall to the floor gasping for breath.

"Cinder, I was wondering when you'd get here," Shockblast said as he put his metal arm around her shoulder.

"Get up," Cinder said to Roman. Her voice was seductive, yet intimidating. That was something Shockblast enjoyed about her. Roman shakily stood up, clenching his throat as he did.

"Look, you need to keep this lunatic under control. He's insane!" Roman complained.

"Huh, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," Shockblast said with a toothy grin, "but flattery will get you nowhere."

"So," Cinder began, "Megatron is here, you say? He will fall alongside his allies." Another thing Shockblast liked about Cinder was her confidence, but not this time.

"Were you _not_ paying attention to when I told you where I came from and how I got here? Did the part about Megatron harboring a _god_ in his bodynot cross your mind, sweetheart?" he asked in frustration, but still trying to be little polite. Despite his great power, he knew that Cinder was the stronger, so he tried his best not to upset her.

"Oh, come now dear, don't get all worked up," Cinder said before planting a kiss on his cheek. "As for you," she said, looking at Roman, who gave her a nervous smile, "Why didn't you deal with this yourself?" Roman responded by pointing to the large horde of dust containers behind him, adding in multiple 'ehs'.

"Sorry if I've been a little busy stealing every speck of dust in the _kingdom!"_ he argued.

"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski-mask," Mercury insulted.

"Look around kid," Roman continued, "I've got this town running _scared!_ Police camping out at every corner, dust prices through the _roof!_ And we're sitting pretty in an old warehouse with more dust _and energon_ crystals, vials, and rounds that we know what to do with! Speaking of which, if you guys don't mind filling me in on your grand-master plan, it _might_ actually make my next string of robberies go a lot smoother!"

"Listen, fancy-pants," Shockblast said, his eye glowing a brighter green than normal, "we'll tell you everything when _we_ are good and ready! So, sit back and _don't question us AGAIN!_ " The insanity in Shockblast's voice was becoming more noticeable. "Besides," he continued, "we're done with your little operation here. It's time we relocated."

"We'll send you the coordinates to our new location tonight," Cinder said as she and Shockblast walked away, hand-in-claw. "We're shifting to phase two."


	9. Chapter 10

Chapter 8

Secrets

At least three weeks have gone by since the new semester started, and things haven't been the most peaceful. Ransack and Crumplezone were still swooning over Blake, despite the multiple times she's slapped them to get them to go away. Megatron and Yang had become sparring partners with each other and, while Megatron has won every duel, Yang refuses to give up. Team JNPR and team CRTT had started to get along, somewhat. Jaune was able to sympathize with Crumplezone and Ransack about failing at almost everything combat related, Nora and Thunderblast were able to relate to each other due to their admirations of certain teammates. However, they did get into a few arguments about who's better: Megatron or Ren. Blake and Weiss also made friends with two of the newcomers: Sun and Neptune, who told them how impressed they were at their fighting skills. And Optimus had taken it upon himself to train Ruby in fighting _without_ a weapon once he found out that she's _terrible_ at hand-to-hand combat. The two of them had just started to train out in the Emerald Forrest last weekend.

"So, what's this fighting style called again?" Ruby asked, putting her scythe on a large rock.

"It's called the Art of Metallico, and ancient fighting technique passed on from generation to generation back home. My friend Landmine taught it to me a while back," Optimus said, placing his sword next too Ruby's scythe. "And I thought I might pass it on to you." While Optimus was enthusiastic about teaching his friend some of his culture, Ruby wasn't looking forward to it.

"Aw, but why can't I just use my scythe! I'm never gonna leave without it anyway," Ruby argued, reaching for her weapon. But before she could retrieve her weapon, Optimus grabbed her hand and yanked her away from it.

"There _will_ be times where you'll be without your weapon. And when that time comes, you'll need to be prepared, which is why I'm going to be training you." Optimus said, to which Ruby groaned in frustration. "Come on, show me your best offensive position." Ruby awkwardly positioned her fists far from her chest and bent her knees towards one another. Optimus just looked at her with confusion.

"What!? I have experience with weapons, I don't know how to stand for fist-fights!" Optimus rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Well, for starters, you need to spread your legs out. If you don't…" Optimus swiped his foot underneath Ruby's leg, causing her to trip and fall on her head.

"Ow," she said, holding her head in her hand.

" _That_ will happen," Optimus said as he helped Ruby to her feet, who was unwilling to get up. "Now, I want you to mirror me. Got it?" Optimus then positioned his arms in front of his body, his right had in front of his left one. His legs were farther apart then what Ruby had, and his body was straighter. Ruby tried her best to imitate him, with her arms and legs in relatively the same pose. But her back was slightly bent backwards.

"How's this?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't one for much change.

"Better, but your back is too bent." Ruby blushed as Optimus unexpectedly put his hands on her back and waist, arching her forward. "There you go. Um, is everything okay?" Prime asked as he noticed the redness on Ruby's cheeks.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Let's just continue with the lesson," she replied, the redness in her face fading a bit.

"Alright. First, we're gonna see how good you are at fighting without your weapon for now. Which is why lesson number one is being prepared for everything!" Optimus then swung his fist at Ruby, who just barely avoided it. She wasn't so lucky with the next few attacks, however. Optimus threw a few punches and Kicks at Ruby, most of which hit her dead-on. But Ruby wouldn't give up. She retaliated with a punch of her own aimed at Optimus' face. Her fist met its target, but the outcome wasn't what she was expecting. Yes, she managed to hit Optimus' face, but her fist was the thing that ended up getting hurt.

" _OWWWIE!"_ She said, stumbling back holding her fist in her hand.

"Haha, I'm tougher than I look, aren't I?" Optimus said, unphased by her attack.

"Can we stop for today," Ruby pleaded, still clinging her throbbing fist.

"Alright, we'll take a break," Optimus sighed. Ruby's look of pain turned into one of relief as she fell onto her back in the soft grass. "You've got five minutes."

"Fine by me." Ruby said, still laying on the grass. Optimus sat down with his legs crossed beside her, looking up at the sky. Two minutes had passed, and Optimus wanted to get back to training. Not just for Ruby's sake, but for his as well. He needed to stay in tip-top shape as long as he was here. He looked at Ruby and noticed that she was fast asleep! Optimus chuckled at the sight. Of all the Autobots he's met on his journey, he'd never met anyone quite like Ruby Rose. He saw that she had a pure heart, much like his, and that she would be willing to do anything to protect her friends. He trusted Ruby, enough to want to tell her things that others might find suspicious. There were even times where Optimus wanted to tell her the truth about himself.

'But, how would she react if I told her who- _what_ I really am,' he thought, 'no, I can't tell her, not yet at least.' Optimus sat in silence for about a minute more, still waiting for Ruby to wake up. Then, he had an idea. Seeing as how Ruby was practically passed out, she wouldn't be able to see what he was about to do. He closed his eyes and pushed his hands together, but kept them a foot or two apart. Suddenly, his chest began to glow, as did his hands and eyes. The orange container from a few months ago formed in front of him and gently placed itself in his hands. The Matrix of Leadership was once again within his grasp. He maintained his focus on the Matrix for a full minute, the longest he's ever kept it here. The Matrix gave off a bright light, like it was a shining star inside a small box. In fact, it was so bright that it woke up Ruby!

"Woah," she said, mouth, mesmerized by the Matrix' glow. Her sudden awakening startled Optimus as he dropped the Matrix on the ground, causing it to dissipate. He sighed as he fell back on his hands and uncrossed his legs. Summoning an artifact with this much power took a lot of energy. You could see the sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Ah, you weren't supposed to see that," he said as he lay down in the grass.

"What… what _was_ that?" Ruby asked, baffled at what just happened. Optimus hesitated.

"It was nothing," he finaly replied, "let's just get back to training." But Ruby wouldn't take that for an answer.

"No, Optimus," she said, grabbing his arm, "there's still a lot of things you haven't told me, and right now, it feels like you're keeping secrets from me."

"Ruby, I…" there was a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"Optimus, friends don't keep secrets from each other," she said, leaning in closer to Optimus, "so, please, you have to tell me these things." Optimus sighed as Ruby took her hand off his arm.

"Ruby, are you sure you want to know about who I am?" he asked, looking into Ruby's eyes. She took a moment to think for a bit.

"…Yes," she responded.

"Alright. I guess we'll start with the Matrix."

"The what?"

"The object I was holding earlier. It's called the Matrix of Leadership. It's an ancient relic containing immense power. Whoever is worthy to receive it will be granted the title of 'Prime'."

"What does it do?" Ruby asked.

"Well, it's sort of complicated. I still don't know how it works myself. But, I do know that it had the power to light our darkest hour." Optimus answered, confusing Ruby who found his response to be a bit cryptic.

"Uh… What?"

"The Matrix has the power to restore balance in the universe. However, that balance is only restored temporarily. Luckily, it can be used more than once." Ruby was starting to understand it better.

"Ok, so what made you worthy of it?" she asked. Optimus looked away from Ruby, thinking about when he received the Matrix. He never really thought of what made him worthy.

"I never thought myself of being worthy of the Matrix, but I was nonetheless." Ruby was surprised that he would say that.

"Optimus, what are you talking about?" she asked, catching Optimus off guard, "you're caring, humble, kind. Why _wouldn't_ you be worthy of something like this?" Optimus began to chuckle at her compliments. He then did something that no one has ever seen him do, in this world at least. He grabbed his faceplate and removed it from his mouth, revealing the rest of his face to Ruby.

"You know, Ruby," he said, looking at her, "I've never met anyone quite like you. You're special, and that's a good thing." Ruby smiled at his compliment. "You're kind, cheerful, you have spirit, and you've proven to be a good leader."

"Naw, you're sweet," she replied bashfully. "So, what else is there to know about you?"

"What do you _want_ to know?" Ruby thought for a minute.

"How about you tell me about your battles with Megatron?" she asked. Optimus' smile faded as he thought back to when the whole war began.

"You really want to know how our war started?" he asked, not wanting to relive those memories. But the main reason he didn't want to tell Ruby about the war was because she was still just a child. She was pure, innocent, and he didn't want to shatter that innocence. Ruby still nodded in curiosity. "*Sigh* very well. But first, you need to know a few other things."

"Like what?"

"Ruby, Megatron and I have been around a lot longer than you think. We've been fighting each other for _many millennia._ As in _thousands of years!"_ Ruby was baffled. She almost fell onto her back when Optimus said this.

"W-what? How did you…" Optimus walked over to the rock he placed his sword on. He picked it up in one hand and grabbed the blade with the other. "W-what are you doing?" He pulled the sword downward, slitting open the palm of his hand. What Ruby saw next stunned her. Instead of seeing blood, she saw a glowing, sparkly, red substance dripping from his hand.

"This is the reason we've been able to live for so long," he said, putting the sword back down and wrapping his hand in his jacket.

"What is that stuff?" she asked taken back by Optimus' actions.

"Do you remember when I told you guys about energon a couple weeks ago?"

"Sorry, I was busy doing things while you were talking then." She responded.

"Alright then, energon is a substance that emits large quantities of energy. Which is how Megatron and I have been able to live for so long. It's also the reason one of our wars started. But our first war," Optimus took a seat next to Ruby, who scooted in closer to him, wanting to know the full story, "was fought to gain control of another race of beings: the Minicons." Optimus thought back to when he and Megatron first arrived on Earth, and how he met Rad, Alexis, and Carlos.

"The Minicons?"

"They were small, mechanical life forms who granted us with an extra power boost. The Autobots and I made friends with their race, and they willingly teamed up with us. But Megatron enslaved the ones he found, forcing them to give him extra power."

"That sounds horrible," Ruby said, feeling sorrowful about beings she didn't even know about until now.

"It gets worse," Optimus said, "you see, the Minicons have the ability to change their appearance. Nine of them could combine into three weapons: The Requiem Blaster, The Skyboom Shield, and the Star Saber. Megatron forced them to combine and used them as batteries to power his ultimate weapon. That weapon had enough power to destroy worlds." Ruby was shocked at the things Megatron did. She knew he was mean, but this… _this_ was too far.

"How did you stop him?" she asked. A sense of suspense and intrigue fell upon her. Optimus reflected for a moment on that fateful day. The day he died.

"Megatron said that if he couldn't have this world for himself, then he would destroy it. So, I got in between the blast and the planet to save this world and all its inhabitance. He fired the weapon upon me, and I did my best to keep the blast from making contact with the planet." Optimus shivered as he remembered how much pain he was in when he felt his body being slowly torn apart.

"What happened?" Ruby asked, growing worried. Optimus was silent. "Optimus, what happened to you?"

"I… I died, Ruby. The blast was too powerful for me to withstand. I could feel my body being torn to pieces." Ruby put her hands over her mouth, horrified at what Optimus just said. Optimus felt cold when he mentioned his own death. It was the most pain he'd ever experienced in his entire life.

"Y-you died? Then… how are you here?" Ruby was truly scared at this point. She couldn't bare the thought of loosing one of her friends. Optimus stood back up, looking down at Ruby.

"With the combined strength of my friends and the Matrix!" Optimus stood heroically over his comrade, the look of sorrow and pain fleeting from his eyes. "I had come back just in time. Now that I was back at full strength, I used my power to drive back Megatron and his forces. But, I couldn't have done it without my friends." Ruby looked at the noble Autobot in awe as he helped her to her feet. "People like Megatron are the reasons why I fight. I cannot allow him to rule the world. Same goes for people like Torchwick. And I'm glad I have friends like you to help me."

"Well, I'm with you all the way, Optimus Prime," Ruby said just before giving Optimus a hug, which took him by surprise. "Just promise me you won't die again." Ruby released her grip on her friend and looked him in the eye, awaiting his response. Optimus smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I promise," he said. He then looked at the sky and noticed that it was almost night time.

"Gee, how long have we been talking?" Ruby asked, also looking at the sky.

"Well, I suppose we should be getting back to the Academy. It'll be dark soon," Optimus suggested. But before he could walk away, Ruby grabbed his hand, keeping him from going any farther.

"Actually," she said, her face turning a bit red, "I was hoping we could, you know, go for a walk around Vale." Optimus smiled at her again. He put his mask back on and formed his armor around his body. He then did something that no one would've seen coming. He went over to Ruby after handing her weapon back to her and picked her up bridal-style, further reddening her face.

"As you wish," Optimus said as he ascended into the air, with Ruby in his arms.


	10. Chapter 12

Chapter 9

Shockblast Unleashed

This was it. Today was the day team's RWBY and OMega were gonna get to the bottom of things. Last night, they'd planned on figuring out just exactly what Roman Torchwick and the White Fang were up to. Once classes ended, they all gathered in team RWBY's room to prepare for their mission. Team RWBY even had new outfits just for the occasion.

"Alright guys, todays the day," Ruby said enthusiastically as she jumped off her bed, "the investigation _begins!_ "

"Well, you seem excited," Optimus said, sharpening his sword.

"Yeah, we're _finally_ gonna get back at Torchwick today!" she replied, tucking her weapon away.

"It's about time," Megatron said, cracking his knuckles, "I've been waiting to return the favor for him shooting at me!"

"Alright, everyone remember their roles?" Ruby asked, looking at everyone in the room.

"You and Optimus will head into town and try to find any White Fang activity, while I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies," Weiss said, "Seeing as how _I'm_ in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members," Blake added, "If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows _everything_ going on in Vale. Megs and I should be able to get some info out of him pretty easy," Yang said, leading up against Megatron.

"Alright," Optimus said as he stood up and sheathed his sword, "once we're done, we'll meet up with Yang and Megatron and discuss what we found. _Let's roll out!_ " The six of them grinned with looks of determination on their eyes. Little did they realize that there was more than six of them.

"Yeah!" a voice said from outside the window. Everyone jolted back upon seeing a certain monkey-tailed Faunus hanging from the windowsill.

"Sun!?" Blake said, surprised by his sudden appearance.

"How did you even get up there?" Weiss asked.

"I do it all the time," Sun replied, receiving a questioning look from Weiss.

"You _what_!?" she said, skeptical about his response.

"I climb trees all the time!" Sun explained, but Weiss was still a bit suspicious.

"Sun, what are you doing here?" Optimus asked as Sun flung himself into the room with his tail.

"I heard you were going after that guy from the docs. Torchwick, right?" Optimus was about to reply, but he was cut short when Blake stepped in.

" _We_ were going to investigate the situation… as a _team._ " She said, subtly hinting that she didn't want Sun to get involved.

"Now, wait a minute," Optimus said, getting other ideas, "Sun, since you're a Faunus, maybe you can go with Blake to scope out the White Fang initiations. She might need backup if something goes wrong." As much as Blake hated to admit it, Optimus was right.

"Cool," Sun said, walking over to Blake, "oh, I also brought Neptune with me." Sun pointed out the window, showing everyone that Neptune was standing on a ledge outside. Everyone looked at Neptune with both confusion and awe.

"How did you even manage that?" Optimus asked, looking around for a ladder or some rope that Neptune might have used.

"I have my ways," Neptune responded quite cryptically, "seriously though, can I come in? We're, like, _really_ high up right now." Once Neptune was inside, Optimus and Ruby assigned him and Sun with their partners, being Blake and Weiss.

"Ok, now that that's settled, it's time to roll!" Optimus ordered receiving a resounding 'yeah' from the rest of the group.

(…)

Meanwhile, as our noble warriors surveyed the area for any unusual activity, Shockblast was currently looking over the new setup far from Vale. It was a large cavern buried beneath a demolished city, with ruins of another civilization underground.

"So, this is where the magic happens," Shockblast said, walking up behind Roman, who jumped at the sound of his voice, " _quaint!_ "

"Shockblast, what a pleasant surprise," Roman spat through his teeth. "What, your girlfriend couldn't make it?"

"She's currently occupied. But as for me," Shockblast's cannon began to electrify, "I've come to see that you don't screw things up like last time!"

"Tch, what? You mean with Mega- _WOAH!_ " Roman couldn't finish his sentence as Shockblast had nearly blasted him into oblivion. Luckily for him, Shockblast intentionally missed and blew a building-sized hole in the ceiling.

" _YES, I MEAN THE TIME WITH MEGATRON!_ You'd better pull off this next mission, cause if you don't," Shockblast pointed his cannon at Roman, whom you could almost see shaking in his fancy shoes, "I. Won't. Miss." As Shockblast walked away, Roman regained his composure and glared daggers at his 'comrade.'

"Hmph, I bet you were too weak to finish him yourself," he said under his breath. However, this didn't go unnoticed. Shockblast swiftly turned to Roman and leapt into the air.

" _TRANSFORM!_ " he shouted as his eye began to glow brighter. His torso rotated to the side, as did his head in the opposite direction. His arm bent backwards behind him and his cannon shifted in front of him. His legs split into a 180 and multiple panels opened in his shins and calves. He was now in the form of an armed satellite. His weapon was charged up, electricity forming on the end of it. The three claw-like appendages on the barrel opened, making way for the blast. His cannon fired upon numerous buildings, incinerating half the base. He cared not for any soldiers or equipment still inside those buildings as they went up in a ball of flames. He slowly descended back to Roman's level and transformed back into his route mode.

"S-sorry?" Roman laughed nervously, fearing Shockblast would do the same to him as he did the buildings. However, his death never came as Shockblast simply walked past him. But not before whispering something in his ear.

"How's _that_ for _weak_?" He then walked off, still filled with rage. You could practically see his clenched fist cracking from the pressure.

(…)

Anyway, back to our heroes. Weiss and Neptune had finally made it to the transmit tower, to which Neptune had eagerly wanted to see. But he displayed his joyous emotions on the inside, being the resident cool-guy and all.

"Man, I wasn't expecting the tower to be _this_ big," Neptune said, impressed at the sheer size of it.

"You should see the one in Atlas," Weiss remarked, taking this tower as something of minuscule importance.

"Wasn't that the first one?" Neptune asked.

"Indeed. Atlas developed the cross-continental transmit system to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the great war."

"Huh, smart _and_ pretty. Looks like I got the right partner," Neptune complimented Weiss, causing her to giggle. However, their moment of happiness was cut short when Weiss saw a familiar face. Just a few feet away, Penny could be seen just walking around near the tower.

"Not her," Weiss sighed.

"Who, the girl with the pink bow?" Neptune asked, pointing at Penny.

"Let's just go before she sees us," Weiss said as she and Neptune walked towards the tower, with Weiss hiding her face with her hand. Unfortunately for her, Penny looked in their general direction and spotted them. Taking notice of this, Weiss swiftly turned away, hoping that she wouldn't talk to them. Surprisingly enough, Penny just walked away, completely ignoring Weiss and Neptune. Weiss' expression grew confused as she watched Penny walk away.

"I'm guessing that's not normal for her?" Neptune assumed.

"Huh, that's odd," Weiss commented, "she'd normally pester us and act all weird when talking to us. Oh well, at least she's gone. Now, back to the task at hand."

"Whatever you say," Neptune said, winking at Weiss.

(…)

While Weiss ad Neptune were busy at the tower, Optimus and Ruby were flying just above Vale, looking for any unusual activity. Well, Optimus was doing the flying while Ruby was hanging on to his back for dear life.

"Hey, Optimus?" Ruby said.

"Yeah Ruby, what's up?" Optimus responded.

"I just wanted to thank you for the training we've been doing these past few days. I really appreciate it." Optimus smiled under his mask, as did Ruby.

"Well, I'm glad to help. Especially for one of my friends."

"Yeah… friends." Ruby's smile faded a bit as she tilted her head to the side.

"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked, taking note of his companions look. It took a minute for Ruby to reply, but she came through nonetheless.

"Optimus," Ruby began, almost timidly, "have you ever, um… *Sigh* have you ever had a crush on anyone?" she asked, finally. Optimus raised an eyebrow at her.

"Crush? I'm afraid I don't understand," he said, surprising Ruby.

"Y-you know, a _crush_. Something you get when you have, uh, feelings for someone." Optimus was beginning to understand it better. He was able to figure out what Ruby meant when she said the word 'like.'

"To be honest, I've never really had any romantic feelings towards someone," he admitted. Ruby's color somewhat turned grey after Optimus said that.

"O-oh, ok then."

"Do you have a crush on anyone?" Optimus asked. Ruby's face turned bright red.

"M-maybe," she halfway confessed.

"I see. Well, I'm sure this is something private, and that you'd be a bit uncomfortable talking about it. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

"N-no," Ruby replied, "let's just get back on the task at hand." Optimus nodded at her as they both continued to observe the town below them.

(…)

Off in the middle of the Emerald Forest, a man-sized portal could be seen opening next to a small pond. If one witnessed this, they would probably be shocked to see a bulky, lion faunus stepping through.

"Vector Prime," the faunus said, speaking into a device on his wrist, "I made it through."

"Good," Vector Prime responded, his voice a bit staticky coming through the communicator, "we're counting on you to find Optimus, Leobreaker. Good luck, and may Primus guide you."

"Yeah, well, I just hope this is the right planet." Leobreaker surveyed the area, making sure it was secure. "Huh, this place reminds me of Jungle Planet." Leobreaker then noticed something a bit off about himself. He noticed this when he looked at his arm while communicating with Vector Prime, but it just now registered with him. He looked at his arm again, confirming what he saw was true. Once the realization fully registered, Leobreaker went wide eyed.

"I'm… I'm _organic!?_ " he exclaimed, looking over his body. He then noticed the pond he appeared next to and dashed over to it, getting a good look at his reflection. He was even more surprised when he saw his new body completely. He was wearing a pair of golden gauntlets, simulating his claws in robot mode. He had white, tattered shorts and clawed feet, too big for any shoes. He wasn't wearing a shirt, though. But, instead, he had on a green pendant with his Autobot badge on it. Finally, hiss face. His hair was blond, as was his goatee, and styled in a ponytail fashion. His eyes were cat-like, with slit pupils and red around them. He also had two fangs protruding from his bottom jaw.

"What the slag happened? Vector Prime never told me about…" Leobreaker was cut short when he heard growling in the trees behind him. "Who's there?" he questioned, getting into a fighting stance. However, once his stalker showed themselves, Leobreaker was even more shocked. It was a Beowolf, something Leobreaker wasn't expecting on a planet almost identical to Earth, or so Vector Prime told him. The Beowolf snarled and showed off its fangs at the golden lion, who showed his claws and fangs in return. The Grimm lunged at Leobreaker, intending to bite his head clean off. Luckily, Leobreaker managed to avoid its attack and retaliate by punching it in the back. Leobreaker was surprised to find that the Beowolf was still able to stand after his attack.

"Huh, I guess you're tougher than I thought. Alright then, it's time to end this!" Leobreaker declared as a green aura engulfed his body. A brilliant light shot upward into the clouds, allowing Leobreaker's Cyber Key to descend from the sky. It inserted itself into his gauntlets, causing his golden claws to extend. He let out a mighty roar as he charged towards the Beowolf, the Grimm charged back. It jumped at Leobreaker, but her slid under it and cut open its underside with his claws. The Beowolf slid on the ground and into a tree, with Leobreaker standing triumphantly over its body.

"Ha, too easy," he said before walking towards the fallen Grimm. However, before he could get a good look at it, its body dissipated into nothingness. "Woah! That's weird." Leobreaker pondered over the beast for a moment, but was brought back to reality after noticing something that was off. He began to sniff the air around him, as if he smelled something familiar. His pupils shrank as he started to get jumpy. He jerked his head to one side of the forest, his sniffs intensifying. A grin formed on his face as he got into a sprinting stance.

"Don't worry, Optimus," he said as he started running, "I'm coming for you!"

(…)

Back in Vale, the shadier side to be more specific, Yang and Megatron had jus rode up to a large building. They were riding on Yang's motorcycle, Bumblebee. Yang was driving, of course, so she had Megatron sit in back, holding onto her waist. And she didn't mind that at all.

"So, this is the place?" Megatron asked as he and Yang got off her motorcycle.

"Yup," Yang replied, setting her helmet on the bike handle, "my friend's right in there. Don't worry, you'll like him."

"I doubt it," Megatron scoffed. Yang simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Just let me do the talking, alright?"

"Fine," Megatron grumbled. He hated taking orders from others, but he allowed it this time. He had begun to take a liking to Yang, even deciding to try and recruit her into the Decepticons. But that would have to wait. At the main entrance, two guards could be seen almost trembling once they saw the pair. Or, rather, once they saw Yang approaching. They made a mad dash inside the building, trying desperately to close the doors.

"I'll handle this," Yang said, calmly walking up to the door.

"Hurry, close the door! _She's_ coming!" One of the guards said, finally managing to get inside.

"What are you idiots doing?" a tall man in a black and white suit said, presumably the head of this club. Suddenly, the doors burst open with a small explosion. In the midst of the smoke was Yang and Megatron as they walked into the club, with Yang leading up front.

"Guess who's back!" Yang said enthusiastically, only to have multiple guns pointed at her head. Megatron walked up beside her, with some of the grunts shifting their attention to him.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you," he said, flaring his bright, red eyes, "but if you _do,_ then I wont hold back." Some of the grunts took a step back, slightly intimidated by Megatron's menacing presence. Before they could fire upon the two, the man in the black and white suit intervened.

"Stop, stop! Nobody shoot!" he ordered, to which his associates lowered their weapons. "Blondie," he said, "you're here. Why?" Megatron then stepped up to him.

"We are here to gather some information. So, tell us what we want and there won't be any trouble." The man was unphased by his threat.

"I'm not scared of you kid," he said. Megatron clenched his fists, and his eyes began to glow.

"You _will_ be," Megatron replied. But before he could show his strength, Yang stepped in.

"you'll have to excuse my partner. He jus thinks he's better than everyone else. But trust me when I say that he can do _a lot_ more damage than I can. Besides," Yang then pulled the man away and dragged him to the bar, "you still owe me a drink." Megatron followed soon after, both him and Yang taking a seat at the bar. Little did they realize that one of the people there had recognized Megatron. He pulled out his scroll and searched for a specific contact. Once he found it, he made a call to a certain one-eyed psychopath.

"What is it?" the voice on the other line said impatiently.

" _He's_ here," the grunt said, "we'll send you our address, so you can deal with him." He then put his scroll back in his pocket while making sure neither Megatron nor Yang saw him.

(…)

At last, Leobreaker had made it to Vale. Lucky for him, Optimus' scent was still fresh and more present here.

"Argh, where the slag is he!?" Leobreaker said, growing more frustrated. He'd been searching for his leader all day, up until nightfall. Finally, his nose lead him to a dark alleyway, he noticed a claw mark on one of the walls next to him. "Huh, wonder why this is here." Leobreaker then noticed someone walking into a large building. The person was similar to him, in the sense that thy, too, had animalistic appendages. "This place sure is strange," he commented. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard two sets of footsteps behind him. He leapt up onto the rooftop above him and tried hiding himself as best he could. The people who were behind him also had animalistic features. The first one, the female, had a pair of cat ears, much like Leobreaker. The other, the male, had a long, blonde monkey tail.

"This is it," the girl said, peaking around the corner.

"You sure?" the monkey-boy asked. The cat-girl then gave him an annoyed glance. "Y-now, I'm just gonna take your word for it." For some reason, Leobreaker smelled Optimus' scent on the cat girl. He continued to observe them from above. Unfortunately, Leobreaker wasn't exactly the stealthiest of bots. His hand slipped and caught on the gutter, making a metal creaking sound. This didn't go unnoticed.

"Uh oh," Leobreaker said, realizing his mistake. He slowly crept backwards, trying harder to conceal himself.

"Blake," the monkey whispered to the cat girl, "I think we're being watched.

"Yeah, I noticed too," Blake whispered back.

"What do we do?" the monkey asked. Blake slowly reached for her weapon, which was strapped onto her back. After she grabbed it, she swiftly shrew it at the building to their left, narrowly avoiding Leobreaker.

"WOAH!" Leobreaker exclaimed, dodging Blake's weapon. She tugged on the rope attached to the handle, sending it back to her. She grabbed her other weapon and tried hitting Leobreaker again. He evaded it and jumped onto the ground in front of Blake and Sun.

"Who are you!?" Sun asked, demanding to know who he was and why he was spying on them. However, the response wasn't what he was expecting. Leobreaker pounced at Sun, but he whipped out his staff and blocked his attack. Leobreaker then grabbed a hold of Sun's staff and tried prying it from his hands. But Sun wasn't so willing to give up. He tugged back as hard as he could, but Leobreaker was smart about this. He let go of the staff, causing Sun to fall to the ground. However, Blake managed to grab hold of him from behind. This only gave the golden lion the chance to knock her on the ground as well. He grabbed her shoulders and threw her over him and next to Sun.

"So, you done yet?" Leobreaker said, crossing his arms. Sun jolted to his feet and swung his staff downwards, intending to hit Leobreaker on the head. But Leobreaker grabbed his staff once again and threw him into a wall. Sun slowly slid on his rear as Blake stood back up, facing Leobreaker.

"Yeah, we're done," Sun said defeated.

"A- Wha- SUN!" Blake shouted, not happy with her partner giving up so easily. She looked back at Leobreaker, a look of frustration in her eyes. "Why were you spying on us!?"

"How about you answer _my_ question first!" Leobreaker said, getting angrier by the second. "Where's Optimus?" Blake's expression went from frustration to surprise in less than a second.

"Wait, you know Optimus Prime?" she asked, lowering her guard. She then noticed the Autobot symbol on his pendant. It was just like the one Optimus had. "Y-you're an Autobot, right?" Leobreaker lowered his guard as well, also surprised by Blake's question.

"Yeah, of course. So, I guess it's safe to assume that Optimus made friends with you?" he asked, still a bit skeptical about Blake and Sun.

"Yes, he is a friend of mine. I'm Blake, and this is Sun," Sun waved at Leobreaker as he stood back up, "and you?"

"The name's Leobreaker. I'm one of Optimus' most trusted soldiers, as well as his right-hand man. Literally!" Blake and Sun were confused by that last bit, but they decided to shrug it off for now.

"What are you doing here, Leobreaker?" Sun asked.

"I'm looking for Optimus, but you probably figured that out by now. I've been tracking his scent ever since I got to this place. And now, it's lead me to you two. More specifically, Blake," he replied, pointing to the cat Faunus. "You have Optimus' scent on you, meaning you must've made contact with him." Sun's jaw dropped.

" _WHAT!?_ " Sun shouted. Luckily, no one else was around to hear him. "Y-you mean… Blake… and Optimus… They… They did…" Blake's face was beginning to turn red as she rushed in to try and explain things.

"N-no! We didn't do anything like that! Yes, we made physical contact, but…"

"(Sigh) I was too late," Sun said as he fell on his back. Leobreaker was just confused at this point.

"Anyway," he said, trying to get back on topic, "do you know where I can find Optimus?" Sun groaned at hearing that name. Blake's face got a bit redder, not only from embarrassment, but also from annoyance.

"Ugh, we didn't do anything like that, Sun," she explained, " _got it?_ "

"Huh? You mean you and Optimus aren't, you know, a thing?" he asked, not wanting to wait much longer for confirmation. Blake rolled her eyes at him before speaking up.

"No, we are _not_ an item." She said. Sun let out a heavy sigh of relief and regained his composure.

"As I was saying," Leobreaker said, "can you point me in the right direction, so I can find Optimus?"

"Sorry, I can't help you there," Blake said, Disappointing Leobreaker, "but we did agree to meet up with him and Ruby later." Leobreaker perked back up when she mentioned that. "Just stick with us and you'll see him later."

"Well, I've never been one for waiting, especially not now. But if I have to then I will. So, what are we doing here?"

"We're trying to find out any information on the White Fang. See if we can't figure out their next move," Blake explained.

"The White Fang?"

"Long story short, they're a group of Faunus who're trying to take over the world," Sun added.

"Then what are we waiting for? If anyone wants to take over the world, they're gonna have to deal with _me!_ " Leobreaker exclaimed.

"Here, you're gonna need this," Blake said, handing him a red and white mask. Luckily, she brought a spare in case she lost one of the others. Leobreaker put the mask on, but found it to be a bit uncomfortable.

"I feel stupid with this thing on," he commented.

"Yeah, well, we're not trying to look fancy here," Sun said as the three walked towards the entrance of the building. Inside was a large crowd of Faunus. Most of them were already with the White Fang, but a small group of them were new recruits.

"What is all this?" Leobreaker whispered, observing the crown before him.

"It's the initiations for the White Fang. Hopefully, we can find out their plan," Blake whispered back. However, Leobreaker's questions would have to wait as a Faunus of the White Fang stepped up on the stage. He was dressed differently from the others, presumably he was higher in rank.

"Thank you all for coming," he said, "for those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce two very special comrades of ours." Two people walked on stage. One of them was in a white coat and a black hat. He was also carrying a red cane in his hand. It was Roman. The other person was unknown. He was covered in a brown cloak, so no one could see him properly. "I can assure you," the Faunus continued, "they are the key to obtaining what we have fought for, for so long." The Faunus' who were already in the White Fang cheered for them, but the new members weren't so accepting.

"What are _humans_ doing here?" a female Faunus asked.

"I'm glad you asked, dearie," Roman said, "Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans are the _worst!_ Case in point." Roman then pointed to himself. "But you shouldn't say so about my, er, 'comrade' here. For he is neither human _nor_ Faunus." The new recruits were stunned. How can there be a third race of beings like them.

"What do you think he means?" Sun whispered to Blake and Leobreaker.

"I don't know. Hopefully we'll find out soon," Blake responded.

"Now I know you must be confused," Roman continued, "that is why my associate will explain himself. So, why not take off that cloak and reveal yourself." The other person grabbed his cloak from the inside and threw it off his body. What was revealed shocked everyone beyond measure. It was some kind of Cyborg, with a cannon arm and a claw, as well as metal boots with tank treads.

"Woah, what _is_ this guy?" Sun questioned, just as surprised as everyone else. However, Leobreaker was a bit more shocked when he noticed a familiar symbol on the cyborg's shoulder. It was the infamous Decepticon insignia.

"He's a Decepticon!" Leobreaker pointed out.

"You mean he's working for Megatron?" Blake asked.

"No," Leobreaker replied, "Optimus told me about this guy. His name is Shockblast. He betrayed Megatron a long time ago during the war between the Autobots and Unicron. I'll explain the rest later." Shockblast then spoke up, his voice sending chills down everyone's spines with how unstable he sounded.

"The name's Shockblast," the cyborg introduced, "and I bet you're all _dying_ to know what happened to me to get like _this._ " Shockblast then pointed to his mechanical appendages. "Well, I'll tell you what happened. The guy I called "master" put me in this situation! And do you know what he is? He's a low life human who deserves to be _eradicated!_ Just like all the other pitiful humans in this world. But, to be more specific, the higher ups, the ones pulling the strings!" People began to cheer when Shockblast said that.

"Lucky for you, _we're_ the best exterminators aro-" Roman was cut off when his scroll began to buzz. "Argh, what is it!?" he asked impatiently, feeling embarrassed for something like this to happen to him in front of all these people. Shockblast found it amusing though.

"He's here," the man on the other line said, which put a smile on Roman's face, "we'll send you our address, so you can deal with him." After hanging up, Roman let out chuckle and turned to face Shockblast.

"What's so funny," he said, sparks forming at the end of his cannon.

"I think I've just found your former "master" Shockblast. I suggest you'd better deal with him," Roman said with his smug grin. Shockblast's lone eye glowed a striking green as he face towards some of the soldiers off stage.

"Find Megatron and _DESTROY HIM!_ " He shouted. The soldiers sprinted out of the building, not wanting to face Shockblast's wrath. His anger startled the crowd of newcomers, but the older members were used to it by now.

"Now then," Roman said, clearing his throat, "as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, we have just the thing to help in our little project." Roman then snapped his fingers, signaling the soldiers to remove the curtain behind him. Everyone cheered at the sight that was before them.

"Not good," Leobreaker said, ready to pounce at any moment. Behind the curtain was a giant robot, with a grey color scheme, blocky proportions, and guns for hands.

"How did he even get that?" Blake questioned, also preparing to strike.

"As some of you may have heard," Roman continued, "this right here is Atlas' new line of defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my employer, we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, 'hit the shelves'."

"So unless you want to be stuck here, on the bench," Shockblast added, "I suggest coming with us, so you can get your hands on one of _these!_ " Everyone began to cheer for Shockblast and Roman, eagerly anticipating their new toys.

"We should get out of here," Blake said, not wanting to stay any longer.

"I agree, let's get going while the going's good," Leobreaker said. But before they could walk out, Roman ordered all the new recruits to walk forward.

"Welp," Sun said, realizing that if they didn't do something fast, then they'd be discovered. With the crowd moving, it would be hard to slip past anyone due to everyone heading in the same direction.

(…)

Let's see if Megs and Yang are having better luck. He and Yang were standing at the bar, with the manager behind the table.

"I don't know," he said. Welp, that answers that. Time to go.

"How can you _not_ know!?" Yang questioned. Nevermind then, I guess we're staying.

"I haven't talked to him. I haven't seen him since the night you first came here," the man explained, "he paid upfront, I lent him a few men, and none of them ever came back!"

"Listen, worm," Megatron insulted, "I don't care what happened to your men. So, tell us what we want to know, _or else!_ " Megatron's eyes began to glow red.

"Hey, don't you talk to _me_ that way! Who is this guy?"

"Someone who can beat even the toughest guys to a pulp. Trust me, I know," Yang threatened for Megatron, to which he grinned evilly.

"Listen, I already told you _everything!_ Torchwick hired my boys and I guess he wasn't happy with them! _Which is something I can relate to!"_ he shouted.

"Hmph, come on, Megs," Yang huffed as she and Megatron walked away.

"Tch, if you had let me loose, I _guarantee_ I could've gotten something useful out of that ignorant buffoon," Megatron scoffed.

"Ugh, let's just hope the others are doing better than us. Besides, it's not like we had the worst of luck," Yang said. Unfortunately, she jinxed it for themselves as the main door burst open. Multiple Faunus from the White Fang entered the room, all with their guns pointed at Megatron and Yang.

"You just _had_ to say it, didn't you?" Megatron groaned, getting more annoyed.

"Now's not the time for that!" Yang retorted, her eyes turning red as she readied her gauntlets. Megatron prepared for battle as well, but instead of using his sword, he figured his cyber key would do better.

" _CYBER KEY POWER!_ " He shouted as a purple aura surrounded him and shot up into the air. His cyber key inserted itself into one of his 'wings', releasing a claw-like weapon. It attached itself to Megatron's left arm, three spikes jutted out of it afterwards. The Faunus held their positions, waiting for Megatron and Yang to make their next move. The couple were also waiting or them to make a move, seeing if they could predict it ahead of time.

"Hey, here's an idea," Yang said, "how about we make this a competition."

"Go on," Megatron said, intrigued.

"I count around 18 troops. Let's see who can take out the most. If you win, then I'll buy you a drink afterwards."

"And if _you_ win?"

"Then you have to take me out for dinner tomorrow."

"All too easy," Megatron scoffed. Just as the soldiers were about to fire, Megatron and Yang leapt into the air and propelled themselves in opposite directions, with Yang going left and Megatron going right. Yang aimed her foot at one of the troops upon descension and kicked him into a wall. To other troops aimed their guns at her, but she got to them first. Yang punched one of them in the chest, then grabbed his foot while he was mid-air and swung him into the other one.

"That's three for me," Yang said triumphantly. But she was disappointed when she saw that Megatron dashed towards five other soldiers and took them out with a single slash from his claw weapon. A purple explosion sent them flying onto the dance floor int the center of the room.

"Ha, I don't even have to try for this, unlike you," Megatron taunted, making Yang angrier than usual. Luckily, she was able to vent her anger by punching another soldier without even looking as he charged at her. The two jumped back into the center of the room, now facing each other.

"Is that sweat I see on your forehead?" Yang mocked.

"Tch, in your dreams!" Megatron mocked back before striking two more soldiers with a lightning blast. Yang was getting a _lot_ angrier now. Her breath quickened, and her hair began to glow. She stomped her foot on the ground, causing the floor to shake.

"No way am _I_ gonna lose to you _AGAIN!_ " She shouted as she jumped into the air in a blaze of glory. It was almost as if she were on fire at the moment, due to her growing anger. She slammed her fist into the ground, creating a massive shockwave which rendered the remaining soldiers, as well as the club members, unconscious. Yang rose back to her feet, her eyes turning back to their normal purple.

"I guess you win," Megatron said, disappointed at the outcome. 'She must have cheated somehow. I _never_ loose,' he thought.

"Which means," Yang then put her arm around Megatron's shoulder, "you get to take me out on a date tomorrow!" Unlike Megatron, Yang was very pleased with the outcome of their little wager.

"You know, Yang," Megatron said as they walked towards the exit, "I'm not exactly a nice guy, so I'll try and put this as best I can. I've started taking a bit of a liking towards you. You intrigue me, and I honestly wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with you."

"Naw, Megs," she said, locking her arm with his, "I knew under that hard, shiny armor was a big old softy."

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm still as cold as ever."

"Probably not as cold as Ice Queen, though." Megatron rolled his eyes at Yang, but he still smiled, feeling that, somehow, he achieved a victory.

(…)

Meanwhile, Leobreaker, Sun, and Blake were trying to figure a way out of this mess.

"What now?" Leobreaker asked, not wanting to stay here much longer.

"I'm thinking," Blake replied, her brain scrambling for a decent plan. Unfortunately for them, Roman just so happened to look in their direction, and so did Shockblast. But what Shockblast noticed that Roman didn't was the Autobot symbol on Leobreaker's necklace.

"An Autobot? _Here!?_ " he said, not believing his eye.

"We've been spotted!" Leobreaker pointed out, drawing Blake and Sun's attention to a very angry Shockblast. Luckily, Blake had finally came up with a plan once she saw the breaker box.

"They can't see in the dark," she said before firing her weapon at it, causing the lights to go out.

"Don't let them get away!" Roman shouted.

"Ugh, do I have to do everything _myself!?_ " Shockblast said, charging up his weapon.

"Sun, Leo, the window!" The Faunus trio made a mad dash towards the window, breaking through it to the outside. However, Shockblast wasn't far behind. He blew a hole in the wall with a single blast from his cannon and started chasing after the three.

"I'm coming for _you, AUTOBOT! TRANSFORM!_ " Shockblast then turned into his satellite mode and flew above the trio.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Leobreaker said, witnessing Shockblast's transformation.

"How the heck can he do that!?" Sun questioned. But ow was not the time for that. They jumped up onto a building and began sprinting from rooftop to rooftop. Shockblast charged up his weapon and fired at the building in front of them while they were jumping to it. Fortunately, they landed without a scratch and continued their escape.

"Blake, now might be a good time to call in reinforcements!" Leobreaker shouted, now running on all fours.

"On it!"

(…)

"Everyone, if you can hear me, we need backup!" Blake shouted, which was then followed by Sun screaming.

"Sounds like they're in trouble," Neptune deducted as he and Weiss ran out of the tower.

(…)

"We're being chased by a cyborg with a gun for an arm!" Sun shouted. Luckily, Optimus and Ruby were flying just overhead when they got the call.

"Don't worry, Sun, we're nearby!" Optimus said as he descended to their location. But he nearly came to a halt when he saw their attacker. "It- It can't be!" He said.

"What is it?" Ruby questioned, looking down at the cyborg chasing their friends.

"Is that… Shockblast? Quick, contact Megatron!"

"On it."

(…)

"He turned into, like, a spaceship or whatever and he's shooting at us!" Sun continued to shout.

"Where are you guys?" Yang asked. Her question was then answered when she and Megatron heard screaming and loud gunshots behind them.

"I think that answers that," Megatron said. Suddenly, Yang got another contact on her scroll. It was Ruby.

"Yang, let me talk to Megatron!" Optimus demanded.

"What is it, Prime?" Megatron questioned, not wanting to wait any longer for a fight.

"Megatron," Optimus paused for a moment, most likely for dramatic timing, "it's Shockblast." Megatron's eyes widened with shock. He gritted his teeth and began to growl.

"You know that guy? Kinda 'shocking' isn't it?" Yang joked, putting her scroll away. But Megatron wasn't having it.

"Now's not the time for jokes," he said, charging up the thrusters on his back, "it's time to deal with that no-good traitor once and for all!"

(…)

Blake, Sun, and Leobreaker mad their way to the freeway, hoping they'd lose Shockblast there. They jumped from car to car, trying to keep themselves moving until they got to a more open space to fight.

"Optimus had better get here fast!" Sun said before jumping to the next car. Shockblast began to charge up his cannon, intending to blow out the bridge.

"Lights out!" he shouted, about to fire. However, his onslaught was put to a stop when he was hit with a red plasma blast.

" _SHOCKBLAST!_ " a red and blue figure with a jetpack said from above. Shockblast was filled with hatred when he saw his attacker.

" _YOU! TRANSFORM!_ " Shockblast went back to his route mode and hovered in front of Optimus and Ruby, who were still chasing after him. He fired a blast from his cannon at Optimus, but he narrowly avoided it, with it only singing his jacket. " _I'LL KILL YOU, THEN EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS CITY!"_

"Not if we can help it!" Leobreaker said as he pounce towards Shockblast. He evaded the ferocious feline in time. Luckily, Leobreaker caught onto Optimus' arms before falling.

"Optimus?" Leobreaker questioned, looking over his leader.

"Who… Leobreaker!?" Optimus finally recognized his friend and swing him onto his back with Ruby. "What are you doing here?"

"Vector Prime sent me here on a scouting mission. The others should be here in a few days."

"Others?" Ruby asked, already confused from the events transpiring. Especially at how today was full of perfect timing as Yang and Megatron came zooming into the fray. You could see a fire in Shockblast's single eye once he spotted Megatron. He let out a mighty war cry as he fired at Megatron. However, he dodged it, causing the blast to destroy the bridge, taking several cars with it. Yang tried to stop, but found that she couldn't as she and her motorcycle plummeted to the ground. Taking note of this, Megatron swooped down at great speeds and caught Yang in his arms.

"My hero," Yang said, holding onto Megatron while they landed. Shockblast began to fly after them, but was put off course when an electric trident impaled his cannon. Neptune and Weiss had finally made it to the fight. Wiess summoned one of her platform thingies and shot a blast of ice from her sword through it. It his Shockblast dead on, freezing half his body. He fell to the ground a few meters in front of Megatron and Yang's position.

"We gotta help them," Optimus said as he descended to the ground, with Blake and Wiess following behind. As Shockblast struggled to break free from the ice, Megatron walked in front of him, a purposeful grimace on his face.

"So, you're still alive?" he questioned, wondering how he could've survived being crushed by Unicron's fist.

"You can't get rid of me that easy, you miserable piece of slag!" Shockblast insulted, making Megatron angry. He summoned his energy sword and pointed it at Shockblast's throat.

"Surrender now, and I will spare your miserable life traitor!"

"Megatron wait!" Optimus grabbed hold of Megatron's shoulder after Ruby and Leobreaker got off his back. "He might have valuable information that we could use."

"I made the mistake of not seeing his destruction through the first time, I won't do so again!"

"Don't be a fool! He's working with Roman! If we can get him to talk, then maybe we can find out his next move!" Optimus argued.

"Uh, guys?" Ruby said, drawing their attention back to Shockblast, who was charging up his cannon in the ice.

"Everyone, get back!" Optimus shouted. But it as too late as Shockblast blasted his way through the ice, sending shards everywhere. One of the shards punctured Blake's thigh. She fell to the ground and clenched her leg, trying to block out the pain.

"Blake!" Ruby shouted as she rushed to her side.

"Argh, I'll be fine. Go help the others!" Blake said.

"But-"

"GO!" Ruby reluctantly complied as she charged Shockblast, Crescent Rose in hand. But he saw her attack coming from a mile away and fired at her. Ruby tried using her great speed to avoid the blast, but found that she couldn't. So, she tried blocking it with her weapon. Big mistake. Yes, she got out of it with only minor singes on her body, but her weapon wasn't so lucky. Ruby hit the ground with a thud and heard a clang sound in front of her. She looked up and was horrified. The blast had shattered both the blade and the gun portions of her weapon, leaving it a pile of scrap.

" _NO!_ " she shouted in despair, clinging onto what was left of her weapon. But while Ruby was heartbroken, Yang was pissed.

"You'll pay for that you creep!" Yang's eyes glowed red as she swung her fist at Shockblast, only for him to avoid it and slam his fist into her stomach. Yang coughed up a few ounces of blood as she fell to the ground, gripping her stomach.

"Your turn, Frosty!" Shockblast shouted with a deranged grin as he fired a blast from his cannon at her. She tried blocking it by summoning a shield, but it was useless as the blast plowed right through it and knocked her unconscious.

"This ends _HERE!_ " Megatron prepared a lighting blast for the former Decepticon, but Shockblast fired at his shoulder, severely injuring it. Sparks shot out of his arm as Megatron clutched it. Optimus looked at the destruction around him. His friends were defeated, innocent citizens were either injured or killed from Shockblast's rampage, and he and Leobreaker were the only ones left.

"Time to die, huntsmen and huntresses!" Shockblast said, charging up his weapon. Optimus couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his foot down on the pavement, causing it to crumble beneath his feet.

"Not while I'm still drawing breath!" Optimus declared. Suddenly, his Leobreaker's bodies began to glow. But not their usual red and green, rather, it was a glimmering white. They each took a deep breath and looked at each other in awe.

"What _is_ this?" Leobreaker questioned.

"I think… I think it's our semblances!" Optimus explained

"Our what?"

"I'll explain later. Now, let's powerlinx!"

"You got it!" Optimus and Leobreaker then jumped high into the air, Optimus' chest glowing blue, as well as Leobreaker's. Optimus' jetpack launched itself off his body as his arm folded backwards. Leobreaker's transformation was a bit more complex, though. His forearms detached from his biceps and his legs fused together. His head tucked into his chest and his forearms connected to his feet, forming a giant arm of some kind. Leobreaker then linked himself to Optimus' right shoulder, and his jetpack reattached itself. Finally, the piece de resistance. A large hand formed on his lion arm made from large amounts of energy. Optimus has achieved his Savage Claw mode.

Shockblast, as well as the others, were stunned at the sight before them. It was like looking at a painting that was good enough to put beside the Mona Lisa.

"No. No. NO! NO! _NO! NO! NO!"_ Shockblast as furious. He'd never been angrier in his life. He fired a barrage of laser blasts one after another, each of them hitting Prime at point blank range. At last, Shockblast ceased his attack, leaving a large smoke cloud before him. He laughed triumphantly, convinced that he'd just killed his most hated enemy, aside from Megatron. But when the dust settled, Optimus stood there, unscathed. He wiped the dust off his shoulder and raised his lion arm into the air.

" _CYBER KEY POWER!_ " He shouted as Leobreaker's cyber key plugged into his hand. A set of long, golden claws flipped out from his wrist as lighting cam down behind him. " _IT'S TIME TO FINISH THIS!"_ Optimus flew towards Shockblast at breakneck speeds and punched him square in the chest. The result as a massive explosion of red flames engulfing both off them.

"Woah," Ruby marveled at the sight before her. At last, the smoke cleared revealing Optimus standing tall and proud over a defeated Shockblast.

"It's over Shockblast," Optimus said, lifting up Shockblast by his shirt, "you've lost." Shockblast managed to break free, though, and aimed his cannon at Prime. But the thing is, there was no cannon to aim. Shockblast's eyes went as wide as dinner plates upon further inspection of what used to be his arm. He started to back away in fear as Optimus, Megatron, and Ruby surrounded him.

"We'll meet again, Prime," he growled before transforming, "and when we do, it will be your last." Shockblast then took to the skies, leaving the rest of them in their victory.

"Are you alright?" Optimus asked Ruby.

"No, my precious baby is dead!" Ruby whined. Meanwhile, Megatron went to check up on Yang.

"Are you injured?" he asked.

"Ha, I knew you cared," Yang said in between coughs, still recovering from that blow to her stomach.

"Well, even the worst of people can change. Even if the change is minor. Now get up, you aren't the only one who's injured," he said looking at Blake, who had pulled the ice out of her leg and Weiss, who had just regained consciousness. Optimus looked up into the sky, a grateful look on his face.

"What is it?" Ruby asked, drying her tears for her beloved weapon.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking of an old friend." Ruby smiled at him before walking away to Weiss. "Thank you… Vector Prime."

(…)

Heyo, Vector Convoy here! I just wanted to say, thanks again to Silver Sparky xXPrimeXx or helping out. It's nice to have some help every once in a while. Anyway, posting new chapters like this will probably take a while. I'm nearing the end of school, which means that finals are coming. But I'm glad that you guys are still with me, thank you for your patience. Vector Convoy out!


	11. Chapter 14

Chapter 10

It's Time to Dance! Part 1

It's been about a week since our heroes did battle with Shockblast. Naturally, the others had questions about him, but Optimus and Megatron told the truth. Well, mostly anyways. They said that he was a Decepticon, but defected ad tried to kill Megatron. However, he was destroyed by Unicron, or so they thought, many years ago. But this only resulted in more questions about Unicron.

"So, what exactly _is_ Unicron?" Ruby asked as she and Optimus walked into the classroom.

"He was an all-powerful being, capable of destroying worlds," Optimus answered.

"Wow," Ruby said in awe, "how did you ever beat him?"

"We were aided by an ancient warrior, who held the power to defeat Unicron."

"What was his name?"

"His name was Omega Supreme," Optimus said as he and Ruby sat down next to each other. He thought back to when he first met Omega and how they combined into Optimus Supreme. But it also reminded him of Shockblast's supposed 'death'. He remembered how Shockblast was being consumed by Unicron's power from the inside out. He tried to save him, but failed.

"I bet he was pretty powerful," Ruby guessed.

"Indeed he was. He and I were unstoppable when we joined forces. Together, we had the power of a bright, burning sun!" Ruby's eyes seemed to glimmer as Optimus said that last bit in a sort of heroic fashion. They continued to talk for the remainder of the class, ignoring the sparring matches taking place. Currently, Pyrrha was fighting the whole of team CRDL, and winning. But that didn't stop their conversation.

"Ruby," Optimus said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about your weapon. I know it meant a lot to you." Ruby's expression went from a cheerful smile to a sorrowful frown. After Shockblast destroyed Crescent Rose, Ruby was so devastated that she held a funeral for it. And, while Weiss and Megatron found it time be a waste of time, team JNPR, as well as the rest of team RWBY, Optimus and Leobreaker attended.

"My poor baby!" Ruby whined, "why did this have to happen?"

"Hmm, tell you what," Optimus said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "give what's left of your weapon to me and I'll see what can do to fix it." Ruby's eyes lit up when he said that.

"You… you mean it?" she asked, anticipating the return of her beloved scythe.

"Absolutely. Think of it as a gift, from me to you." Ruby couldn't contain her excitement any longer. She squealed as she wrapped her arms around Optimus, catching him off guard.

"Thank you thank you _thank you!_ " She exclaimed. However, this caught the attention of literally everyone else in the room, including Glynda.

"Is there a problem?" She asked sternly. Realizing what she was doing, Ruby let go of Optimus, her face turning red as a tomato. Optimus' face turned red as well, but not as much as Ruby's.

"Sorry, ma'am. It won't happen again," Optimus reassured. Glynda gave him a serious look before continuing with the session.

"As I was saying," she continued, "we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" The students stayed silent. "Ms. Belladonna," Glynda said, catching Blake's attention, "you've been docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"

"We'll do it." Glynda was unable to finish her sentence as one of the other students volunteered. It was one of the exchange students that Ruby met the other day, along with his female companion.

"Mercury and Emerald, was it? Very well, let's find you two a couple opponents."

"Actually," Emerald stepped in, "we wanna fight… them." She pointed to Optimus and Leobreaker, who were also sitting next to each other.

"Alright then," Glynda said as she turned to Optimus and Leobreaker, "come on down and face your opponents." A grin formed on Leobreaker's face, since he's been itching for a battle all day.

"Finally!" he said, excited to fight.

"Don't get to overconfident," Optimus warned as they walked onto the sparring platform, "we don't know how powerful they are, so keep your guard up." Leobreaker nodded in response. The two transformers faced Mercury and Emerald, who had already gotten into their fighting positions.

"Don't hold back," Emerald suggested.

"Are you _sure_ you want to make that request?" Glynda asked, remembering how Optimus had obliterated that Nevermore during initiations.

"Absolutely," Mercury added.

"Then so be it," Optimus said, his and Leobreaker's bodies starting to glow white. "Leobreaker, it's time to powerlinx!"

"You got it boss!" Leobreaker responded enthusiastically.

"Wait, what?" Emerald questioned. However, the response she got was rather shocking. Optimus' armor formed around him, and his arm folded backwards. Leobreaker's own arms detached from his shoulders as his head tucked into his chest. His legs linked up, allowing his arms to attach to them. Leobreaker connected to Optimus' right shoulder and a large, metallic hand assembled on the new lion arm. Finally, Optimus' signature jetpack latched onto him, completing the combined form.

" _SAVAGE CLAW MODE!_ " Prime shouted as he pointed his enormous hand at his opponents. " _CYBER KEY POWER!"_ Leobreaker's cyber key inserted itself into his now-giant wrist, flipping out his golden claws. "Still want to fight me?" Mercury and Emerald charged towards Optimus, with Mercury preparing a kick-blast with his ankle guns, and Emerald aiming her weapons at Prime. A look of determination formed on Prime's face as he flew at the two at breakneck speeds. He slammed his fist into his opponents, causing a flurry of red explosions. The impact was so great that Mercury was sent flying into the wall, and Emerald was hurled into the ceiling. Every student, aside from team RWBY and Megatron, of course, was left speechless at the spectacle. Even Glynda was shocked, and she'd already witnessed Optimus' great power.

"Since when could he do _that!?_ " Jaune questioned.

"I've never seen anyone so powerful before," Pyrrha commented in awe.

"That's Optimus for ya!" Ruby said, still excited about receiving a new and improved weapon. Leobreaker detached from Optimus' shoulder and transformed back to route mode.

"Still wanna fight us?" Leobreaker asked, putting up his fists.

"No, we're done," Mercury responded as he and Emerald got back up. Suddenly, the buzzer went off, signaling that class was over.

"T-that's all for today," Glynda said, regaining her composure, "and remember, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses." As teams RWBY and OMega walked out of the classroom, Mercury and Emerald watched carefully from a distance, having a hard time believing what just happened.

"Who knew learning would be so painful," Mercury complained.

"We'd better report back to Cinder," Emerald suggested.

"Right." Meanwhile, as our two main teams were walking outside, Ruby found that it was a good time to ask Optimus a very important question.

"So, um, Optimus," she began timidly, walking closer to her comrade, "who are you gonna ask to the dance?" Optimus put his hand on his chin, pondering on that thought for a moment,

"Well, I haven't really given it much thought," he answered. Ruby grew a bit disappointed.

"O-oh, ok. Well, just let me know if you need some advice asking someone out or anything," Ruby said halfheartedly.

"Will do," Optimus responded, giving her a thumbs up. However, they weren't the only ones talking about the dance. Team CRTT was trailing a few feet behind, with Thunderblast rating on about how Megatron would take her to the dance.

"Of course Megatron's going to pick _me_ to go to the dance," Thunderblast boasted, "I'm the _obvious_ choice."

"Oh yeah? Well what about blondie over there?" Ransack said, pointing to Yang, who was walking beside Megatron.

"Like my Megatron would _ever_ go for a filthy human like _her_ ," Thunderblast scoffed, only to eat her own words shortly after Thundercracker pointed out something intriguing.

"Oh yeah? Look again," the seeker said, turning his team's attention back to Megatron and Yang.

"So, Megs," Yang began, resting her head on his shoulder, "you gonna take me to the dance this weekend?"

"Hmm, I don't see why not," he replied, receiving a wide grin from the fiery blonde.

"Sweet!" she exclaimed as she jumped on Megatron's back and wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over. "I guess this could be our first date, huh?"

"Y-yes, well, I suppose so."

"HA! I knew I'd get you eventually!" Yang exclaimed her joy once again. This did not go unnoticed, especially by Thunderblast who, to no ones surprise, already had her rocket launcher pointed at Yang.

"Jeez, calm down, it's just a stupid dance!" Crumplezone said, holding back one of Thunderblast's arms. Ransack and Thundercracker followed their comrades lead and grabbed hold of her legs, trying desperately to avoid a devastating incident. But their efforts were futile as Thunderblast merely threw them off her and into the wall. She dashed in front of Megatron and Yang, who was still hanging onto Megatron's shoulders.

" _ **HOW COULD YOU ASK HER TO THE DANCE AND NOT ME!**_ " She shouted, seemingly looming over the two. Yang was so startled at Thunderblast's sporadic outburst that she lost her grip on Megatron and fell to the ground. Megatron, however, still retained his stone-cold scowl."

"Technically, she asked me to the dance," Megatron explained, not wanting to deal with yandere-con over here.

 _"But why did you say yes!?"_ Thunderblast questioned, her tears literally forming into waterfalls.

"What, you thought is was going to ask you?" Megatron said, realizing why Thunderblast was so pouty. She nodded frantically, drying her tears.

"Listen, Thunderblast, you're just not my type. Now quit being a kiss-up and get back to your team. I have important matters to attend to, such as finding something good to wear for this event. I can't exactly go wearing what I am now."

"Sorry, you snooze, you lose," Yang said as she and Megatron walked passed a very depressed Thunderblast. Her cat ears drooped down as she watched them walk away.

"I hate this game of emotions we play!" she said, falling to her knees.

"Tell me about it." Thunderblast looked to her left and saw Jaune standing next to her.

"What would _you_ know about this kind of thing?" Thunderblast sniffled as she stood back up.

"I've been trying to get Weiss to go out with me, but she's just rejected me at every turn," Jaune explained, to which Thunderblast raised an eyebrow.

"Why Ice Queen? Wouldn't that red-haired girl be the better choice?"

"What, you mean Pyrrha?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Oh, come on," Jaune said, starting to walk away, "like someone as famous as her ever go for someone like _me._ "

"Even though she's been dropping hints every now and then about this specific topic?" Thunderblast pointed out, walking beside Jaune. He'd never noticed this before, but now that he thinks about it, Pyrrha _has_ been dropping a few hints here and there. But he shrugged it off for now and continued on about Weiss.

"But I'm head over heels for Weiss!" he said, hunching over. "I know I can win her over. Besides, I'm sure Pyrrha already has a date to the dance. I'm probably not even her type." Thunderblast was getting frustrated.

"How dense can you be?" she remarked.

"Hey, I am _not_ dense," Jaune retorted, "Pyrrha and I are just friends and I'm going to ask Weiss to the dance. And nothing you say can stop me." It was then that Thunderblast grabbed Jaune by the shoulders and began to shake him violently.

" _She's clearly into you! Now wake up, dangit!"_ As this was happening, the other three cons all merely facepalmed at the sight before dragging Thunderblast away.

"Sorry about her," Crumplezone apologized, even though he didn't mean it.

"Yeah, she can be a few handfuls, trust me," Ransack added before walking off into the distance. Once they were gone, Jaune began to think about what Thunderblast had told him.

'Does Pyrrha really _like_ me?' he thought, scratching his head.

(…)

Later, inside one of the dorms, Mercury and Emerald had just finished telling Cinder about Optimus and Leobreaker during class.

"So, what Shockblast said was true," Cinder said, recalling how Shockblast told her about Optimus combining with a lion Faunus, "interesting."

"What should we do?" Emerald asked.

"We'll see how this plays out. I'm sure Optimus and Megatron won't be a problem. For now, we'll wait for Shockblast to report in person to us."

"Isn't he supposed to be here today?" Mercury questioned curiously. And as if it were fate, a large, mechanical hand grabbed onto the windowsill. Shockblast pulled himself through the window, although, there was something off about him. He had a brown cloth covering the left side of his body.

"What's with the cloak?" Emerald asked. Shockblast stayed silent. Instead of using words, he just flared his green eye at her, showing that he was in no mood to talk.

"Dearest," Cinder said, walking over to her partner in crime, "you wouldn't be hiding anything from us, would you?" Shockblast closed his eye tightly and gritted his teeth. Emerald and Mercury were surprised to see their co-boss acting in such a manner. Cinder put her hand on his cheek, to which he opened his eye, the glow in it dying down.

"I've failed, this time," he said, disappointment in his voice.

"You told us that," Cinder said, grabbing his cloak, "now, let's see what you're hiding." She pulled off the cloth hiding Shockblast's cannon. Or, rather, what was left of it. Mercury and Emerald were shocked to see that Shockblast's arm had been reduced to nothing more than a hunk of scrap. Cinder examined his broken arm for a few seconds, but instead of lashing out in anger, she kissed him on the lips and sat him down on one of the beds.

"What happened?" Mercury asked, but Shockwave didn't give him an answer.

"That doesn't matter," Cinder answered for her lover, "what _does_ matter is that we get Shockblast a replacement." Shockblast clenched his mechanical fist in anger. He stood up, walked over to the corner of the room, and smashed it up against the wall. Luckily, Shockblast had made sure that the blow wasn't so severe as to break the whole wall down.

"Someone's a little moody today," Mercury whispered to Emerald. Unfortunately for her, Shockblast had tremendous hearing abilities.

"Care to repeat that?" Shockblast said coldly, looking back at his comrades, his eye flaring with anger.

"S-sorry sir," Emerald said, not wanting to face her co-boss' wrath.

"So," Mercury stepped in, "what should we do about Optimus and his pal."

"We'll let them have their fun, for now," Cinder said with a sinister grin, "besides, we don't have to worry about them now. They won't find out about our little operation."

"And you picked just the right time, too," Shockblast said, "while everyone's busy at their little shindig, you can execute your mission impossible homage." Shockblast smirked evilly as he began to walk back to the window. "Until then, you know where to find me." He then transformed and flew out the window, leaving Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder in silence.

(…)

Meanwhile, down at the courtyard, Optimus had decided to take a late-night stroll. He'd been thinking lately, about the dance, and whether or not he would go. He wanted to, really, but he had other things on his mind, such as Torchwick and what his next move will be. But the thought that surged through Optimus' head more was Shockblast's recent appearance.

"How are you still alive, Shockblast?" Optimus thought out loud. Suddenly, Optimus stopped dead in his tracks. He looked slightly behind him and crossed his arms. "I know you're following me. Come on out." For a few seconds, there was no response. But, from out behind the statue in front of the school, Ruby walked into Optimus' view.

"H-hey, Optimus," she said as she waved nervously.

"Why were you hiding?" he asked.

"Uh, well, you see, the thing is, uh," Ruby was having a hard time speaking, she was so embarrassed. Optimus walked over to her, to which she took a step back.

"Is something wrong?" he asked further. Ruby looked up at him to speak, but rather than just spouting out nonsense like earlier, she took a deep breath, looked him in the eye, and spoke.

"Optimus, remember when we started this whole investigation thing, and I asked if you had a crush on anyone, and you said no?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, remember when you asked if I had a crush on anyone and I said no?" Ruby's face started to turn red.

"Where is this going, Ruby?" Optimus raised an eyebrow at his companion.

"*Sigh* You see, I might have, kind of, sort of, um… lied." Ruby began to tap her index fingers together, obviously flustered.

"I see," Optimus said, "and just who exactly do you have feelings for?"

"Uh, well, it's someone I met when I first got to Beacon," Ruby's face started turning more red.

"Uh-huh."

"A-and he helped me out when I first came here," Ruby continued, dropping hints about as to who she was referring.

"Go on."

"And he saved my life during initiations. And he's brave, smart, loyal, handsome," Ruby rambled, putting her hands behind her back and swaying back and forth.

"Does this person have a name?" Optimus asked, seeming as if he was catching on.

"I think you'd find him familiar," Ruby said, stepping closer to Optimus, "I've been wanting him to ask me to the dance for a few days."

"Does he know that you like him this way?"

"Uh, well… no," Ruby said, hanging her head.

"Then why not tell him?"

"W-what?"

"Tell him that you have feelings for him. Maybe then, you can get him to ask you to the dance."

"But, I thought that, oh I don't know, maybe he could ask me to the dance tonight. You know, out in the courtyard. All alone." The answer of who she was talking about was becoming a lot more obvious.

"Well Ruby," Optimus said, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. She blushed at his warm touch, and her silver eyes started to glimmer.

"Yes Optimus?" She said, eagerly anticipating what Optimus was about to say.

"Sorry this guy didn't ask you to the dance," he said. Ruby deflated.

"Y-yeah… me too," she said sadly. "I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said quietly before walking to the entrance of the academy.

"Good night," Optimus waved at her, but she didn't even look back. Once Ruby closed the doors, Optimus stood there in the silence. He sighed to himself, thinking as to why the person she was talking about didn't show up. Perhaps he was late? Or maybe he was too nervous? However, his thoughts were interrupted when a familiar blonde dashed towards him from behind and punched him in the face as he turned around.

" _WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!_ " Yang shouted, obviously furious. Optimus made a quick recovery and sprang back onto his feet. He rubbed his face, the feeling of that punch still lingering on him.

"Ow! What was that for? And what are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see Yang out here.

"I was following Ruby out here. She told me she was going to talk to you about the dance, and I followed her. So," Yang yanked Optimus by the collar and pulled his face closer to hers, " _why didn't you ask her!?"_

"What are you talking about?" Optimus replied, pulling himself from Yang's grip.

"Why didn't you aske her to the dance!?"

"I- Wh- _That's_ what this is all about!?"

"What else is there to talk about right now?"

"Yang, right now, Torchwick's out there plotting his next move, and now Shockblast has returned from the dead. I don't have time to attend any festivities at the moment, not until we catch Roman and his cohorts," Optimus said calmly, yet sternly. This just made Yang angrier.

"Ugh, you're starting to sound like Blake!" she exclaimed, her eyes turning red. "Ever since we've started that investigation, Blake's done nothing but work her but off for _days_ trying to find out anything about Roman and the White Fang. I've _tried_ convincing her to rest, but she won't, and now, I've got to do the same with _you!_ Didn't you ever take a rest from fighting Megatron back during the war?" Optimus was about to say something, but stopped as he thought back to when the Autobots decided to have a race on one of Alpha-Q's planets. If he recalled correctly, he eventually joined in on the fun. Not to mention the time when he, his Autobots, and the Decepticons participated in that tournament. He had fun then, even if he was disqualified from the final round due to 'ridiculous rules' as he put it.

"You're right Yang," Optimus sighed, "I need to take a break from all this."

"Wow, that went easier than I thought," she said, her eye returning to their usual shade of purple.

"But there's still one thing I don't understand."

"Which is?"

"Why would Ruby want to talk to me about the dance?"

"Man, you really _are_ dense when it comes to things like this, aren't you?"

"Now wait just a-"

"Listen," Yang interrupted, "Ruby wanted you to ask her to the dance." Optimus looked surprised.

"But, why _me_ of all people?"

"You're joking, right?" Yang said, not believing what she was hearing. Optimus shook his head, signaling that he was serious. "You… you really don't know?"

"Know what?" Optimus persisted. To his surprise, Yang just laughed, "what's so funny?"

"Optimus, I would tell you, trust me, but right now, I think it's up to you to figure out."

"*Sigh* alright," Optimus sighed heavily as Yang put her hand on his shoulder.

"Look," she began, "Ruby _really_ wants you to aske her to the dance. Again, I'll let you figure out why, but you _should_ ask her out. I'm sure it would mean a lot to her." Optimus thought about this for a moment. He and Ruby had become good friends since they met, and Optimus didn't want to ruin that friendship.

"You're right Yang," Optimus said, "I'll ask her to the dance tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan!" Yang said enthusiastically, giving Optimus a thumbs up.

"However, I don't have anything nice to wear to the dance."

"I think I can fix that," Yang said as she grabbed Optimus' arm and had her follow him, "c'mon, let's head into town. I've been meaning to get Megatron a suit, too."

"Thank you, Yang."

(The Next Day)

It was the day before Sunday. Just about everyone had a date for the dance and almost all the preparations were made. Teams RWBY and CRTT were finishing setting up decorations for the big dance tonight. However, Ruby was looking rather depressed sitting at one of the tables alone. But her moping was interrupted when Weiss handed her two sheets of paper that seemingly had the same color.

"I need you to pick a tablecloth" she said.

"Aren't they the same color?" Ruby asked, trying to find the difference in the two sheets of paper, to which Weiss crumpled up the papers and grunted in frustration.

"Ugh, I don't even know why I asked," she said before walking away. As Ruby went back to her sulking, Crumplezone walked up behind her and set down two massive speakers, with Ransack sitting on top of one of them.

"Jeez, what's got you so bummed?" he asked as he knocked Ransack off the speaker he was sitting on.

" _Hey!_ Not cool buddy!" Ransack said in anger, trying to keep himself from pummeling his so-called friend.

"I wanted Optimus to ask me to the dance, but he didn't," she sighed, burying her face in her crossed arms.

"Optimus? Really?" Crumplezone questioned.

"Eh, it would never work out between ya anyways," Ransack added, making Ruby feel worse than she already was, "besides, I doubt a flower like you would have a shot with that truck." But Ransack shortly realized his slip of the tongue and covered his mouth immediately. He and Crumplezone looked at each other nervously, hoping Ruby wouldn't have noticed. Luckily, she was too busy self-pitying herself to catch on.

"Well, he's certainly _built_ like a truck from what I've seen," she said, her cheeks turning a light red. But the red faded when she put her head back down, still feeling miserable. "And just to add insult to injury, Blake's not going to the dance either." Now _this_ peaked the cons interests.

"Oh yeah?" Ransack said, putting his hands on his hips, "just you wait, Blake's gonna be all over me, wanting a date tonight!"

"Hate to break it to ya, Ransack, but I doubt she'd go for a guy like you," Crumplezone said smugly, to which Ransack gave him a sneer.

"What, you think she's gonna go with _you?_ You have as much of a chance with her as Ruby does the Big O!" The short-tempered motorcycle retorted, only for ruby to sigh in further sadness.

"Oh, come on Ransack! Your too short for anyone to date you!"

" _Short!?_ Some friend you are, _Wideload!_ "

 _"WIDELOAD!?"_ Crumplezone and Ransack then proceeded to pound each other into submission. Fortunately, their fighting strayed away from Ruby and Yang, who was now at Ruby's side.

"What great friends they are, huh Ruby?" Yang said sarcastically. Ruby was unresponsive. "Oh come on, Rube's, you can't be sad about Optimus not asking you to the dance forever, y'know."

"That doesn't mean I can't be sad now!" she said, her voice slightly muffled in her arms. The two were silent for a few minutes. After a while, Ruby spoke up again. "Why didn't he ask me, Yang."

"Wow, you really like him, don't you?" Yang asked. Ruby looked up and nodded in response.

"I kept hinting at things like this for a while, but he just doesn't see it," Ruby whimpered.

"Maybe that was the reason he didn't ask you out. Maybe it was because he didn't know that you liked him this much."

"Maybe you're right" Ruby sighed, looking up from the table.

"Oh, don't worry Ruby," Yang said, patting her sister's head, "you'll be happy to know that yours truly convinced Optimus to ask you a certain question tonight before the big dance tomorrow." Ruby's head then shot back up from the table.

"REALLY!?" Ruby squealed, not even trying to suppress her happiness. But Yang grabbed hold of her in return and held her still.

"Sure did! Optimus is gonna sweep you off your feet tomorrow. Well, _if_ he knows how to dance, that is," Yang said, to which Ruby screamed internally, "heck, I even helped him pick out a suit. He'll be here, and so will Blake. Don't sweat it." Ruby then gave her sister a tight hug, excited for the big dance tonight. However, this moment was interrupted when Yang noticed Weiss' questionable decoration methods. "Weiss! I thought we agreed, _no doilies!"_ she shouted.

"If I don't get doilies, you don't get fog machines!" Ice Queen retorted. Luckily, their argument was cut short when Sun and Neptune came in.

"Your dance is gonna have fog machines?" Neptune asked.

"We were thinking about it," Weiss replied.

"That's pretty cool," Neptune complimented in his usual 'cool guy' manner.

"So," Sun stepped in, "you ladies excited for dress up?"

"Well Ruby, _are_ you excited?" Yang asked smugly, looking at her sister. Now that she knew Optimus was probably gonna ask her to the dance, Ruby was ecstatic.

"Oh, fine! I'm excited for the dance," she admitted, looking forward to going with Optimus.

"And _I'll_ be turning heads tomorrow night," Yang added.

"Tch, yeah right," a certain female Decepticon said from another end of the room."

"Excuse me?" Yang said, slightly insulted by Thunderblast's remark.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Thunderblast mocked, walking up to Yang, "but Megatron's going with _me_ tomorrow."

"But, he already said he'd go with _me_. He even _told_ you that, remember?" Yang pointed out, making Thunderblast angrier by the second.

"if you think you can take away _my_ Megatron, then you've got another thing coming sister!" Thunderblast and Yang were now glaring daggers at each other, as if they were trying to blow up one another using only their minds. Luckily, Thundercracker, as well as the two Velocitronians, stepped into the fray.

"Anyway," Thundercracker interjected, " what're ya'll gonna be wearin' tomorrow."

"Uh, this?" Sun said, referring to his current attire of a jacket and jeans, no shirt included.

"Ignore him, for he knows not what he says," Neptune cut in.

"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo," Sun butted in, "It's not exactly a shirt-and-tie kind of place."

"I think that was established long ago pal," Ransack said as he and Crumplezone looked over Sun's apparel.

"So, what does Blake think of all this?" Sun asked, changing the subject, "Is she still being all, you know, Blakey?"

"Obviously," Weiss said.

"I still can't think of a way to change her mind," Ruby said, just about ready to admit defeat on the matter.

"Just leave that to me." Just outside the ball-room, Leobreaker was leaning up against the door frame.

"You sure you can handle this?" Yang asked.

"How long have you been standing there?" Weiss asked, to which everyone ignored her question.

"I've seen how she's been acting. I've been though a similar phase. Don't worry, I got this." Leobreaker then exited the room, confident that he could talk some sense into Blake.

(Time Skip)

Later in the school library, Blake was busy doing research on… something. Well, whatever it was, it was interrupted when Blake noticed a glowing red dot on the monitor screen. It motioned in a circle, then up and down for a bit, Blake's eyes following. The dot then moved down to her hand, making her a bit frustrated. Little did she realize that Leobreaker was behind these shenanigans nearby. After a few seconds of waiting, Leo aimed the laser-pointer at Blake's hand again. The ninja cat was getting more frustrated. However, she was able to calm herself momentarily. That is, until the dot showed up again on the screen, then onto the floor. Now, she'd had enough.

Blake stood up from the table and eyed the dot with anger. She followed the dot as it slowly moved to in between two of the bookshelves. Once she found its source, Blake was surprised to see both yang and Leobreaker standing in front of her.

"You don't know how much I wanted to chase that dot!" Leobreaker said.

"What are you-"

"We need to talk," Leobreaker said as he forcefully dragged her out of the library.

(…)

Meanwhile, Optimus and Megatron were staying in their dorm room, with Megatron trying on the suit Yang picked out for him and Optimus looking over Ruby's destroyed scythe. She had given it to him yesterday, before the incident late last night. Megatron had just finished putting on his suit. It bowtie.

"Prime, be honest," Megatron said, getting his nemesis' attention, "how do I look?" Optimus looked over Megatron in his new suit, carefully examining it.

"Well, it fits your style," Optimus complimented, "but there's one thing I don't understand."

"Oh? And what would that be, Prime?" Megatron questioned as Optimus went back to examining Ruby's weapon.

"Why are you interested in this? I would've expected you to be plotting your takeover of Remnant. But instead, you're worried about a dance. Why?" Megatron thought about it for a moment.

"You see, Prime," Megatron said, fixing up his bowtie, "even _I_ need to take a little break from war. I may be evil, but at least I know how to have fun every once in a while."

"You mean besides dismantling Autobots and destroying planets?"

"Yes, aside from that," Megatron's eyes glowed for a brief moment, "besides, we've been waging this war for too long. I think we can both agree on that matter."

"You… have a point," Prime said reluctantly.

"Say, weren't you supposed to ask Ruby to the dance today?" Megatron pointed out. Optimus face palmed and stood up from his desk, which he had installed a few weeks ago.

"Argh, you're right! I'll go talk to her now." However, to both Optimus and Megatron's surprise, there was a knock at the door. Optimus was even more surprise to see Ruby standing in front of him as soon as the door was opened. "R-ruby?"

"Hey Optimus. Um, how's it going?" Ruby asked timidly.

"I'm doing fine. I was just looking over your damaged weapon to see what I can do to fix it," Prime responded.

"Oh, cool! Again, thanks for doing this."

"Yeah, no problem." Before Ruby and Optimus could continue their conversation, Megatron stepped through the doorway, blocking the two.

"I think I'll leave now," he said, fully stepping out of the room, "I wouldn't want to spoil the moment." Once Megatron was gone, there was an awkward silence between Optimus and Ruby. The supreme Autobot commander didn't know what to say. Neither did the huntress in training.

"So, um, Optimus," Ruby said, breaking the silence.

"Y-yes, Ruby?"

"Um, is there something you want to ask me? You know, about a certain event tomorrow?" Ruby asked, half expecting Optimus to have o idea what she was talking about. Fortunately to her surprise, Optimus said exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Actually, I _do_ have something I want to ask," he said. Ruby's eyes seemed to glimmer. "Ruby, will you- *ahem* will you go to the dance with me? Yang told me how much you wanted to go with me, so I decided to heed her advice and ask you to the dance." Ruby tried her best to contain her excitement, as only a grin and a small hint of red formed on her face.

"Optimus," she said, leaning in a bit closer to Optimus, to which his face also turned red beneath his mask, "I would _love_ to go." Both she and Optimus smiled at each other for a few seconds. Ruby staring into Optimus' yellow eyes, and Optimus staring into Ruby's silver ones. But after realizing just what they were doing, they quickly looked away from each other, and both their faces turned red.

"Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow night," Optimus said, suppressing the redness in his cheeks.

"Y-yeah, see you then Optimus," Ruby replied, the shade of pink still visible on her face. "Bye for now," she said before walking away. But before she turned around the corner, she looked back at Optimus and did something almost uncharacteristic. She winked at him, then walked off into the hallway! 'I can't believe I just did that!' she thought, incredibly embarrassed. But Optimus didn't find it odd or embarrassing, no. He actually found it rather cute.

"Until tomorrow, Ruby Rose."

(…)

Back with Leobreaker and Blake, the three of them had gathered in Professor Port's classroom to talk.

"Leobreaker, if you're going to tell me to stop, you may as well just save your breath," Blake suggested, not wanting to deal with anything Yang or Leo have to say.

"Listen, we don't wan you to stop," Leobreaker explained, "we just think that you should slow it down a bit."

"We don't have the luxury to slow down," Blake retorted.

"This is a necessity, Blake."

"The _necessity_ is to stop Torchwick!"

"And we will," Leobreaker reassured, "but first, take a seat and hear us out." Reluctantly, Blake sat down across from Leo and Yang on the table. "Blake, listen," Leo began, "back home, with Optimus and the other Autobots, I was really stubborn and unwilling to give up. Like you at the moment." Blake frowned at him. "When I first became an Autobot, I could only think about one thing: taking down Megatron. And I wanted to do so alone, with no help, and no rests. I dedicated my life to trying to bring Megatron down myself and-"

"Wait," Blake interrupted, "isn't Megatron on our side?"

"For now, he is. But back home, he was the bad guy. Didn't Optimus tell you?"

"I wasn't really interested at the time."

"Well, anyway, when I was fighting the Decepticons, I gave it everything I had to defeat them. I became one of the toughest fighters in the Autobots!"

"Is this going somewhere?" Blake questioned.

"I'm getting there," Leo then continued his story, "as I was saying, I was the toughest of the tough back home. And the reason why was because I wouldn't stop fighting for the Autobot cause. I refused to res, or at least, get help from others. You see, before I, er, changed my name to Leobreaker, I was called Overhaul. I was tough, too tough for my own good. I thought that, if I did things on my own without taking a rest, then I could beat Megatron. I was so wrong. But that all changed when I met three of my best friends."

"Who were they?" Blake asked.

"Their names were Cobi, Laurie, and Bud. After spending some time with them, I lightened up a bit and thought, 'hey, maybe there's more to life then just fighting.' They showed me how to have fun and relax. And because of that, my bonds with my friends grew stronger than steel."

"What are you trying to say, Leobreaker?" Blake persisted to ask.

"What I'm trying to say is… is that if you only focus on catching this Torchwick guy all your life, then you'll never get to enjoy the fun things in life. And to make things worse, your friends will grow distant from you and, eventually, they'll leave you alone forever. You'll be left with a burden that one person alone can't handle, and the weight of it will crush them."

"Leobreaker, I understand hat you're trying to tell me," Blake said, giving Leo a shred of hope that he'd gotten through to her, "but this is different." Guess not.

"Listen Blake, don't go down the same road I did long ago. It won't turn out well," Leobreaker advised, but his advice was ignored.

"Leobreaker, I'm not like you were, ok? Unlike you, I _can_ do this! I'm the _only_ one who can do this!" Leo began to clench his fists.

"You think that you can fight a war by yourself? You think you can singlehandedly save the world? No, as long as you continue to push others away and think about this non-stop, you'll live a life off misery! From the looks of it, I doubt you can even hold your own against Torchwick if he walked into this room right now."

"Yes I _can!_ I've been preparing for _months_ to fight him again. Day and night, nothing hut training and research!"

"And that's exactly my point! You've been doing these things so much that you haven't given your body time to recuperate! Your tired and fatigued! I Roman walked into this room, he'd kick your butt!"

"I can still beat him!"

"You couldn't even fight me!" Leo snarled, showing his fangs, "every good warrior knows when to take a rest."

"You're right Leo, I _do_ know when to rest, and now is _not_ the time!"

"Alright then," Leo said, getting himself in a fighting stance, "prove that you're still able to fight like this." Blake grunted and took a fighting stance as well. She didn't have her weapons, so hand to hand combat would have to do for now. Blake as the first to attack as she sung her fist at her fellow Faunus. However, Leobreaker evaded the attack in time. But his evasion was slow, just as Blake's punch was. "Pathetic!" he mocked, "I could see that attack from a mile away!" Blake was getting angry.

She leapt into the air and aimed her foot at Leo's head, but he blocked it with his arms and lung her to the other side of the classroom. When she landed, she had trouble keeping her balance. "You're shaking right now, I can see it. Your knees are trembling from the strain of this fight, and you're sweating a lot." He was right, Blake's body was incredibly sore from the constant training and lack of sleep, but she refused to acknowledge it. She dashed at Leobreaker, intending to finish this once and for all. But she made one huge mistake: she didn't factor in the cyber key.

" _CYBER KEY POWER!_ " Leobreaker shouted. His cyber key inserted itself into his wrist, which caused a set of golden claws to flip out on both of his gauntlets. He sprinted at Blake, who reeled her arm back for a punch. Leo slashed his two claws forward, sending Blake flying into the wall. She fell back to the ground with a thud, extremely exhausted from a quick fight such as this. "See what I mean?" Leo asked, offering her his hand. But Blake just scoffed and got up on her own. She stood up for a few seconds, but fell to one knee shortly afterward.

"*Huff* I'm fine, *pant* I'll be fine," she said, not wanting any help.

"If you say so," Leobreaker said as he walked towards the door. He didn't even look back as his body was halfway out of the room.

"Wait!" Leobreaker turned around to see Blake panting heavily on the floor, her cat-ears drooping over. Feeling pitiful, Leobreaker walked over to her and helped her to her feet.

"Still think you're the only one who can do this?" Leo asked, hoping Blake would change her answer. She remained silent. "Well, if you consider taking a break, let me know. Oh, and tell the rest of your team too. They're really worried about you." That being said, Leobreaker showed himself out of the room, leaving Blake in thought and silence.

(The Next Day)

Finally, the night of the dance. Everyone in the school was gathered into one room, most of them with a dance partner. The only ones who weren't present were a majority of team RWBY, half of team JNPR, and team OMega. Right now, Yang was standing at a pedestal in front of the entrance, taking not of all who were attending the dance. The next person to walk through thee doors was none other than Ruby Rose. Her dress resembled her usual outfit in terms of color, but more elegant and dress-upy. The opposite was for Yang, however, as her dress was plain white, and significantly less revealing than her usual clothes.

"Oh, you look beautiful!" Yang complimented. And while Ruby agreed, she found part of her outfit a little awkward: the dreaded heels.

"Ugh, can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby asked, referring to her high heels before stumbling over. As Ruby tried maintaining balance, Yang simply laughed at her.

"Say, where's Optimus?" Yang asked, curious as to where her sister's date was. Same went for her own date for the dance. "He did ask you to the dance, right?"

"Yeah, he did. He just had to do something first," Ruby replied.

"Which was?"

"I don't know, but he told me that he'd meet me here."

"He'd better, or else he's gonna have to deal with _me_!" Luckily, just outside, Optimus and Megatron were both walking to the entrance of the ball-room. Megatron, of course, was wearing his purple and black suit Yang got him. Optimus was also wearing the suit Yang picked out for him. It was made up of light blue pants, with a white shirt and a red coat. He was also wearing a blue tie, and his faceplate was removed for the occasion.

"Are you nervous?" Megatron asked, noticing a few drops of sweat on Optimus' forehead.

"Who, me? Of course not. I've just never done something like this before," Optimus said, trying to cover up the fact that he really was quite nervous about this. Once they walked through the doors, Optimus was left paralyzed when he saw Ruby, and the same thing happened to Ruby once she saw Optimus. But it wasn't the suit that stood out to her really. Instead, it was the flower that was in Optimus' hand.

"Optimus, you made it!" Ruby said as Prime walked up to her.

"Of course, I never go back on my promises," Optimus said, "oh, and I, uh, got this for you." Optimus then handed Ruby the flower, causing her to blush.

"I-it's a rose," she said, flustered at Prime's gift to her.

"Naw, isn't that poetic," Yang said before grabbing Megatron's arm. "C'mon Megs, let's give these two some privacy." And so Yang and Megatron went off to dance, and Optimus and Ruby did the same shortly afterward.

"So, I guess that's what you meant when you said you had to do something before the dance," Ruby realized, taking the flower from Optimus.

"Yeah, what do you think?" he asked, hoping she'd like it.

"I love it," she said. Her face turned red, as did Optimus'. Only this time, there was no mask to hide it.

"*Ahem* uh, care to dance?" Optimus asked, taking Ruby's hand. Ruby put the rose in her hair and smiled at Optimus.

"I would love to dance," she said, blushing heavily. And that's exactly what they did.


	12. Chapter 15

Chapter 11

It's Time to Dance: Pt. 2

The school dance had been going on for about an hour or so. After a while, people decided to take a break from the dancing and simply chat with each other, including Prime-Rose and Yang-Tron (you're welcome).

"So Megs, you having fun?" Yang asked, leaning on Megatron's shoulder.

"I'll admit, this event has proven to be more enjoyable than I previously expected," Megatron answered.

"I'll take that as a yes," Yang said, but their conversation was cut short when team CRTT burst through the doors.

Upon entry, Thundercracker had tripped on his own foot, with the rest of the Cons falling on him.

"Augh, not again!" Thundercracker shouted, trying to pry the others off him.

"We're not late, are we boss?" Ransack asked, being the first one to get up from the Con-pile.

"Yes, you very much are," Megatron sighed, looking at his team with a mix of embarrassment and disappointment. Megatron then leaned towards Yang's ear and whispered, "if anyone asks, we don't know them."

"Oh, come on Megs," Yang said, gently pushing Megatron's shoulder, "don't be like that."

Megatron simply rolled his eyes at her in response. Once the Cons managed to get back on their feet, Megatron and Yang got a good look at their outfits. Thundercracker was still wearing his cowboy hat, as well as his boots, but his suit was grey, with the shirt underneath colored orange, and his pants were navy blue. Ransack was wearing a red suit with gold pants. Since his cap was off, you could see that his hair was colored a deep crimson, similar to Ruby's hair. Crumplezone's outfit was completely green, aside from his tie, which was colored blue. It was meant to emulate his cockpit in robot form. And, finally, Thunderblast. Her dress was mostly purple, with grey stripes running alongside it. Towards the bottom, the dress was split somewhat, revealing a good portion of her legs, and at the middle of her dress was a diamond-shaped hole, showing off part of her stomach.

"So Megatron, whatcha think?" Thunderblast said, spinning in a circle so Megatron could see her completely.

However, the answer she got wasn't exactly what she was expecting.

"I think you're trying to hard," Megatron said.

Thunderblast's mood dampened as she hung her head low and sighed, "I never win!"

(…)

While the Cons, Megs, and Yang were talking, Optimus and Ruby were talking at the other end of the room.

"Hey, Optimus?" Ruby said to her date.

"Yes Ruby?" Prime replied.

"I just wanted to say thanks again for going to the dance with me."

"It's my pleasure Ruby," Optimus said as he smiled under his mask, and Ruby smiled back, "You know, it's good to have relaxing moments like his in between battling."

Ruby nodded in agreement. However, that got her thinking about something.

"Optimus, can I ask you something?" she said.

"Of course," Optimus said in return.

"When was the last time you had a moment like this?" Ruby asked.

Optimus was about to answer, but found that he couldn't, as he could hardly remember the last time things were as peaceful as they are now.

"Honestly, it's been too long since something even remotely like this has happened. I think the last time it was this peaceful was twenty years ago," Optimus replied, recalling how in between the destruction of Unicron and Alpha-Q's first attack, things were finally at ease.

" _Twenty years?_ " Ruby said, taken back by Prime's response.

Then she remembered how he told her that his battle with Megatron has been going on for thousands of years, which made Prime's answer more believable.

"Sadly, yes. I only wish the Megatron could see that it is possible for more than one race to peacefully coexist." Optimus seemed to mutter that last part, but Ruby was able to make it out.

"Yeah, I hope so too," Ruby said, supporting her date's opinion.

However, before they could continue talking, they got distracted when they saw Jaune standing alone by the punch bowl.

'I wonder why he's all alone?' Optimus thought before walking over to Jaune.

Ruby followed Optimus, realizing what he was going to do.

"Oh, hey Optimus," Jaune said, noticing Optimus and Ruby walking up beside him.

"Is everything alright? You seem to be alone," Optimus asked his fellow warrior.

"Naw, everything's fine, don't worry," Jaune replied, hiding the fact that things obviously weren't 'fine' as he said.

"Hey, I'm sorry things didn't work out with Weiss," Ruby said, bringing up the elephant in the room.

"Yeah, I herd about that," Optimus added, "hopefully you'll have better luck next time."

"Meh, it's fine. Neptune's pretty cool anyways," Jaune said, confusing both Optimus and Ruby.

"But, I don't see Weiss with Neptune," Optimus said, "look."

He then pointed to Weiss, who was trying to straighten the a few flowers on one o the tables. Then he pointed to Neptune, who was socializing with Sun and Blake, who had finally decided to take it easy for a bit. (Thank you Leobreaker!)

"Yeah, Weiss said she had too much to focus on to worry about boys," Ruby further explained.

Just then, Jaune's look of confusion went to a look of agitation.

"Hold. My. Punch." He said, handing his punch to Ruby.

Once Jaune walked away, Ruby took a sip of his punch, not caring who saw it.

"Ah, Ruby!" Optimus exclaimed, giving her a 'why' look.

Ruby just shrugged at him and took another sip of Jaune's drink. Now ignoring Ruby's behavior, Optimus watched as Jaune walked over to Neptune. However, he was stopped when Pyrrha walked passed him and out to the balcony. Shortly afterwards, Optimus saw Jaune follow his teammate outside.

"What's he doing?" Ruby asked Prime.

"I'm not sure," Optimus replied, "I just hope he knows what he's doing."

Now that Jaune had left, Ruby and Optimus could continue their conversation.

"It's strange, you know?" Optimus said, confusing Ruby somewhat.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Tonight is supposed to be a night where we can all spend time with each other and be at ease. But something feels… off. I don't know what it is, but there's just something missing."

For a few seconds, neither of the two spoke. But after considering Optimus' thought, Ruby decided to make a bold move. As Optimus was still thinking about what Jaune was doing, Ruby reached out for his hand and grabbed it. Optimus looked at Ruby, his cheeks starting to turn pink.

"Maybe _I_ could help make things feel, y'know, less off?" she asked as her face turned red as well.

"What exactly are you implying?" Optimus asked, smiling at Ruby.

"Well, uh, maybe we should go somewhere more, um, p-private?" Ruby timidly replied.

"I suppose we could do that," Optimus said, his face turning redder as they walked together to the stairs leading to the balcony just above the entrance to the ball-room. Finally, they were making progress.

(…)

Meanwhile, not too far away from where the dance was held, Shockblast was currently flying over the town.

"TRANSFORM!" he said as he returned to his route mode and landed on top of one of the buildings, "Cinder, I'm at the rendezvous point. Where _are_ you?" he questioned, talking into the communicator in his antennae.

"I'll be there in five minutes dear. Once we meet up, we wait for the signal," Cinder said on the other line.

"Good, I'd rather not wait any longer. Mercury, Emerald, how are things looking at the party?"

"Just hold out a little longer Shockblast. There's still some people alone, and we don't want to risk you getting caught," Emerald said on a third line.

Shockblast clenched his metal fist and gritted his teeth.

"You know I don't like waiting," Shockblast spoke into his communicator, "there had better be some kind of distraction, cause if we don't pull off this operation…"

"I, uh, don't think you'll have to worry about that anymore, boss," Mercury cut in, alluding to a very unusual event transpiring at the dance.

"Well, whatever it is, it had better last!" Shockblast shouted, growing more impatient.

He then looked over the academy, a smug look on his face.

"I'm coming for you, Megatron!"

(…)

Back at the dance, everyone's attention had shifted from their dance partners to something rather out of place.

"What's going on?" Megatron asked no one in particular, curious as to hat everyone was gawking at.

Megatron then leapt into the air and hovered above the crowd to find out what exactly was going on. Then, he saw it. One of, if not the most, ridiculous thing ever witnessed his whole life. Upon descension, Megatron couldn't help but burst into laughter, leaving the others mildly confused.

"Ey, what's so funny?" Thundercracker asked curiously.

Finally, they all saw it. Amidst the crowd stood Jaune Arc, and he was wearing a white dress with a large bow on his waist. The cons burst into laughter upon seeing Jaune in his new 'attire.'

"Pfft! I haven't seen something this funny in ages!" Crumplezone laughed.

"Haha, I'm with ya buddy!" Ransack agreed with his large friend.

Wanting to see Prime's reaction to this event, Megatron looked around the room or him, but found that he was nowhere to be seen.

"Wait, where's Prime?" Megs questioned.

(…)

As Megatron and the others were still making fun of Jaune downstairs, Optimus and Ruby were looking over Vale on the balcony. It was just the two of them enjoying the view, alone.

"I never realized how beautiful the city looks at night," Optimus said, gazing at the city, illuminated by the numerous colorful lights.

"Yeah, me neither," Ruby agreed.

"So," Optimus said, looking at Ruby, "what do you propose we do now?"

"Well, we _are_ at a dance, so why don't we, you know, dance?" Ruby suggested, the redness returning in her face.

"Without any music?"

"I, uh, think I can do something about that."

Ruby then pulled out her scroll and selected a song on a music app. It was a soft, sweet song, and she felt it was perfect for the moment. The title of the song read 'Gold: Acoustic.' She set down her scroll on the wall near the stairwell and let the song play.

"This seems almost planned out Ruby," Optimus said as he and Ruby began to dance.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ruby said, despite her actually planning this out in reality.

The two remained silent as they continued to dance with each other. Optimus twirled Ruby around with his hand, but when he pulled her back towards him, she accidentally stepped on his foot. Optimus winced a little as Ruby stepped off his foot.

"Ah, sorry!" Ruby apologized.

"Heh, don't worry, I've endured worse," Optimus reassured as they continued to dance.

For Prime's first dance, he was actually pretty good at this. Granted, he practiced a bit before now, but regardless, for his first time, he was doing nicely.

"Hey, you're pretty good at this," Ruby complimented.

"Thank you, you're doing quite well yourself."

"Thanks, my dad taught me how to dance in case something like this popped up. And wouldn't you know, here we are."

"So I guess this is your first actual dance?"

"Yup, what about you?"

"Well, let's say there's a first time for everything."

The two danced for a bit more, until what Optimus said registered in Ruby's head.

"Wait, so after the, what, _centuries_ you've been alive, you've never been dancing?"

Optimus shook his head in response.

"You're… good at a lot of things, aren't you?"

"Well, not everything Ruby."

Ruby blushed a bit as she looked down a bit.

"What is it Ruby?" Optimus questioned.

"Well," Ruby said as she looked into Optimus' eyes, "are you good at this?"

Ruby suddenly took her hands and placed them on Optimus' chest, causing him to blush heavily. Ruby blushed just as hard as he did as she slowly leaned closer to Optimus' face. She closed her eyes, and…

* **THUD***

Ruby and Optimus jumped back rom each other and looked at the source of the interruption. Near the exit to the stairwell was none other than Ruby's dear sister Yang, looking up at them while on the ground. The music cut out as soon as Yang spoke.

"H-hey guys, what's up, heh," Yang laughed nervously.

"YANG! Were you watching us dance!?" Ruby questioned, stunned by her sisters presence.

"Uh, maybe?"

Ruby's face went red as a tomato when she realized that Yang saw her almost kiss Optimus. She stomped over to her sister and quickly scooted her out of the scene.

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" Ruby asked, but didn't let Prime answer as she and Yang had already gone halfway down the stairs.

But as they were walking, Ruby noticed a wide grin on Yang's face.

"What?" Ruby asked her big sis.

"You really _do_ like him, don't you?" Yang teased.

"Ugh, fine! Yes, I do like him!" Ruby confessed, "But you ruined the moment!"

"Well, I didn't do it on _purpose_."

"Yang, could you just, y'know, leave us alone? Please?" Ruby pleaded.

"Ok, I'll leave you to it."

And with that, Yang began to walk away. However, before she could leave, Ruby stopped her for a moment.

"Yang, wait."

"Yeah sis?"

"Do you… think I have a shot at this?"

"Of course you've got this!" Yang said, putting her hands on her sisters shoulders, "but, if you wanna go in for the kiss, then you probably want to save it for another time."

"What? Why?"

"I'm just saying, maybe you should let him know how you feel first. _Then_ you can kiss him!"

Ruby thought about her sisters advise for a moment.

"Ok, I'll take your word for it sis. Wish me luck!"

And with that, Ruby went back to spend time with Optimus. In the meantime, Yang went back to hang out with Megatron.

"So, what happened?" Megatron asked curiously as yang made her way to him.

"Eh, not much. Ruby and Optimus are starting to hit it off though!"

"Pardon?"

"What, you've never heard of that expression before?"

"I'm afraid not."

"It means that Optimus and Ruby might start dating!"

"Is that so? Interesting."

Megatron put a hand on his chin as the news put a nasty thought in his head.

'Hmm, perhaps I could use this to my advantage in the future, once this is all over," Megatron thought.

However, he was distracted from his thoughts when he took a quick glance outside and saw a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, standing on one of the rooftops. He looked back outside again to make sure he saw correctly. He took a good long look at the figure this time. He was cloaked, so Megatron couldn't make out much of his appearance, but he still recognized him. What wasn't covered were two purple, metallic boots. On the left side of his body was a grey claw, with a blue orb in the center of it. But what stuck out the most was the green, glowing eye shining from beneath the hood.

"What is it Megs?" Yang asked, looking in the same direction.

"It's Shockblast," Megatron said, pointing at Shockblast in the distance.

"Ugh, this guy _again?_ " Yang complained, "So, we gonna go fight him?"

Eager to have a rematch, Yang smirked as she cracked her knuckles. But Megatron wouldn't let he have her fun.

"No, _I'll_ go fight him," Megatron said.

Yang groaned, disappointed that she wouldn't get to fight. But, remembering her last encounter, she silently agreed that Megatron would be most suitable for this task.

"Fine, just be careful, got it?"

"Tch, I hardly doubt he'd be a challenge," Megatron said confidently.

(…)

Unbeknownst to anyone, Mercury and Emerald were continuing to aid Shockblast and Cinder in their objective.

"It appears all the dancers have partners," Emerald said to Cinder, who had now met up with Shockblast.

"How's our time looking?" Shockblast asked.

"We should probably be home by midnight, to be safe," Mercury recommended.

"We'll keep our eyes on the clock," Cinder said as she and Shockblast started to head out.

(…)

Back with Megs and Yang, Megatron was using his aura to form lighting around his hands, getting ready for what he thought would be a fairly quick fight. However, Yang, looking back to where Shockblast was standing, now noticed a strange, masked woman sprinting across the buildings, with Shockblast hovering a few yards in front of her.

"Megatron, look!" Yang said, physically twisting Megatron's head to face the same direction of Shockblast and the woman.

"Alright, one," Megatron took Yang's hand off his head, "don't do that to me again. Two, this may prove to a bit more difficult than I thought."

"So, high and mighty you can't handle two people?" Yang asked smugly.

"Shockblast is formidable. If he keeps me occupied and allows the woman to continue their objective, then I can't stop her," Megatron explained.

Megatron then turned to the other Decepticons not to far from him.

"Ransack, Crumplezone!" he said getting their attention.

"Yeah boss?" the Cons said simultaneously.

"Come with me. It's time I introduced you two to an old 'acquaintance' of mine."

(…)

At the base of the transmit tower, both Cinder and Shockblast were hidden behind a wall, just out of sight from a guard by the tower entrance. Shockblast smirked as he dashed closer to the entrance of the tower, unnoticed by the guard. Shockblast then swiftly snuck up behind the guard and bashed him over the head with his metal fist, knocking him out instantly. Once the guard fell on the ground, the ex-con grabbed him by the arm and tossed him into one of the bushes, out off sight from anyone who may pass by.

"Good work," Cinder complimented as she walked to the entrance, "wait here, and make sure no one gets in."

"What, I can't have a _little_ fun?"

"You'll have your bloodshed in time. But for now, you do as I say."

Shockblast rolled his eye and slumped over, disappointed that he wouldn't be killing anyone tonight. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't have a good fight. A few minutes after Cinder had entered the building, a red, flaming portal opened up in front of the cyborg. And wouldn't you know it, none other than Megatron, as well as two other Decepticons he didn't recognize.

"Well, looks like I _do_ get to have some fun," Shockblast said as he readied for a fight.

"Ransack, Crumplezone, I'd like you to meet Shockblast," Megatron introduced his minions to his former associate, "Shockblast, meet the morons I call teammates."

"Aw, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to us!" Crumplezone said, mistaking Megatron's insult or a compliment.

"Tch, they're dumber than Snowcat and Demolishor," Shockblast mocked.

"True, but they are good distractions. Ransack, Crumplezone, _attack!_ "

The two Velocitronians charged at Shockblast at full speed. Shockblast just stood there as the Cons jumped at him and aimed their fists at him. Unfortunately for them, Shockblast swiftly evaded their attacks. He kicked Crumplezone in the back, sending him flying several feet. He then grabbed Ransack by his jacket and flung him in the same direction he sent Crumplezone.

"Hardly even a challenge!" Shockblast said, "Now, it's your turn Megatro-"

However, when he looked back to his true enemy, he had disappeared!

" _What!?_ Where did-"

Shockblast looked up for a moment and saw Megatron flying up to the top of the tower. He was headed for Cinder! But that's not why Shockblast was concerned. His rage and lust for vengeance were blinding him. All he wanted was for Megatron to _die._ He started after Megatron, but found that he couldn't as both Ransack and Crumplezone grabbed onto his legs as he was taking off.

"Na-ah, no way! You ain't getting to the boss that easy!" Ransack said as he climbed up from Shockblast's legs and onto his back.

"Yeah, you want him, you go through us!" Crumplezone said as he used his brute strength to slam Shockblast onto the ground.

But his maneuver didn't go over so well with Ransack.

" _Hey, you almost crushed me!"_ Ransack shouted as he got off of Shockblast.

But there was no time for chit-chat as Shockblast slowly rose in front of them, his eye glowing with anger.

"Argh, no more games," Shockblast growled, "I'll tare you to shreds! Then, MEGATRON IS NEXT!"

Shockblast then tore off his cloak, revealing the left side of his body. Now, instead of a metal stump, was a brand new silver arm. But instead of being a massive green cannon, it was a more humanoid appendage. The colors were, of course, very monochromatic as he didn't have any time to give it color. But there were four panels resting on his forearm, which appeared to serve some sort of function.

"What, you think you can beat _us_ with some shiny arm?" Ransack mocked, further angering Shockblast.

Shockblast's only response was, " _DIE!_ "

Suddenly, the four panels on Shockblast's new arm became detached, and started spinning around his wrist. Blue electricity surged in between the panels as a blue sphere formed in front of his fist.

"That doesn't look good!" Crumplezone said.

Once Shockblast's arm was done charging up, a massive blast of blue energy burst forth from the panels. Ransack and Crumplezone couldn't get out of the way of the blast in time, and thus, were hit dead on. The result in the blast as a massive, blue explosion, which left a crater at the point of impact. And at the center of the crater, Ransack and Crumplezone lay unconscious and defeated.

"Huh, I might have to thank Roman later for this," Shockblast said as he flexed his new appendage, "then again, I can't transform. I'm gonna have to punch him after I thank him."

For now, Shockblast would have to resort to the elevator. It's not something he was used to, but it would have to do for now.

(…)

Meanwhile, as Megatron had finally made it to the top of the tower, he saw that Cinder had already achieved her goal. Or at least, that's what Megatron assumed. But now wasn't the time for assumptions; now was the time for action! Megatron hovered back a fe feet before charging head forward into the window, causing it to shatter. Megatron's sudden appearance caught Cinder off guard, but she somehow expected something like this to happen.

"I don't know who you are," Megatron said as he used his evil aura to summon his energy sword, "but I suggest you stand down, or face oblivion."

Cinder remained silent as she too formed a pair of swords using some Dust she had on hand. She dashed at Megatron and slashed her swords towards his face. But Megatron managed to block her attack with his sword. He then retaliated with his own barrage of slashes and swipes from his weapon. But Cinder was a skilled fighter, and she managed to block every one of Megatron's attacks. Cinder then jumped back into the air and morphed her swords into a bow and arrow. She fired three arrows, but Megatron quickly destroyed them with a single slash from his sword.

"Playtime's over!" Megatron shouted as his sword dissipated.

He aimed his hands at Cinder and fired a barrage of lightning at her. Despite her swiftness, Cinder was unable to evade the lightning and was incapacitated for a few moments. Megatron walked over to her, an evil grin on his face. Just as Cinder was recovering, Megatron slammed his foot on her chest, pinning her down.

"Now, let's see who you really are," Megatron said as he removed the mask from her face, "Ah, you're one of the exchange students from Haven. Cinder, was it?"

Cinder scowled at Megatron, but remained silent.

"If you think I'm going to kill you, you're wrong," Megatron said, surprising Cinder, "I want to make a deal with you."

"And why should I believe you?" Cinder said as she tried to lit Megatron's foot off her.

"I can tell just by looking at you that you seek power. I can give you that power, _and more!_ All I ask is one thing in return."

Now Cinder was intrigued. I there was one thing in the world she craved more than anything, it was ultimate power.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"I want in on your little operation. And if I'm right, which I always am, you need someone to give you a constant supply of both Dust _and_ Energon. That's how Shockblast has been able to survive here. And that someone can only be Roman Torchwick. Am I right?"

"How did you-"

"I'm smarter than I look, Cinder Fall. So, do we have a deal or not!"

Cinder thought on Megatron's proposal. Ultimate power was extremely tempting, especially to her. And she knew he could give her that. After what Shockblast told her about how he was able to control Unicron, she knew he wasn't lying. Finally, she made er decision.

"Fine, we have a deal."

"Excellent," Megatron said somewhat gleefully.

"Now, get off me," Cinder demanded.

"I would, but there's something I must do first."

Suddenly, Megatron's right hand began to glow. But it wasn't for his sword or lightning. No, it was for something even more _excruciatingly painful!_

"What are you doing!?" Cinder questioned.

"Just a little precaution, so you don't betray me."

Cinder was about to speak, but she was interrupted when Megatron slammed his hand onto Cinder's forehead. She screamed in pain as Megatron's hand burned her head.

"Oh don't worry, it only hurts _more_ when you resist!" Megatron cackled.

At last, the process was complete. Cinder's screaming ceased as Megatron lifted his hand from her forehead, revealing none other than the Decepticon insignia. Megatron branded her, just like he did to Inferno and Scorponok. But the brand slowly disappeared after a few seconds.

"Welcome to my team, Cinder," Megatron said, lifting his foot off her chest, "Once I leave, tell Shockblast that both he and you work for me now."

"And, (pant) if I don't?"

"You have to! You're a Decepticon now! You are loyal to me, and if you act otherwise, your new brand will overheat, causing it to melt your mind. The only way for you to be free, is if I were to die."

Cinder was unresponsive. She knew what would happen if she tried to kill him herself, and she wasn't going to risk that. Luckily, she might not have to as the elevator door opened, letting loose a very pissed off Shockblast.

 _"MEGATRON"_ Shockblast shouted, pointing his arm-cannon at his foe.

"Nope," was all Megatron said as he opened a warp gate beneath Shockblast, causing him to fall to a new location.

Megatron then grabbed Cinder by the arm and dropped her into the warp gate, sending her to the same place as Shockblast.

"Farewell, for now."


	13. Chapter 16

Chapter 12

The Adventure Begins

It had only been one day since Cinder and Shockblast raided the transmit tower, and things had already gotten quite tense. For example, General Ironwood was all over Ozpin about the whole situation. And after what Yang told him about Megatron fighting off Shockblast and a masked woman, he wanted to have a word with the Decepticon leader. As for Megatron himself, he was already on his way to see the General in Ozpin's office.

However, there is one problem. How would Megatron explain that he forcefully made Cinder a Decepticon and allied himself with her and Shockblast. Luckily, Megatron was cunning. He knew his way around this situation.

'Hmph, they'll never suspect a thing from me,' Megatron thought just before the elevator reached Ozpin's office.

"Come in," Ozpin said as the elevator doors slid open, "Thank you for coming Megatron. How are you feeling?"

"If I do recall, you didn't want me here for a social visit," Megatron said coldly, "you wanted to talk to me about the intruders last night, correct?"

While neither Glynda nor Ozpin appreciated Megatron's attitude, Ironwood did understand his tone for such a pressing matter.

"Megatron, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a huntsman is all about," Ironwood said, "You recognized a threat, you took action, and you did the very best you could."

"Believe me, if I was actually _trying_ to fight, instead of a tower, there would be a crater," Megatron said, "Now, let's get to the point."

While the general was still agreed with how Megatron felt about the situation, he was getting somewhat annoyed by his attitude as well.

"Now, the general here has already informed us of the events that, transpired, last night," Ozpin said as he rose from his desk, "But now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add."

"Was anyone else with them? Did they look familiar to you at all?" Glynda asked.

"While I could not identify the woman," Megatron lied, "I do know her accomplice."

"Well don't just leave us in suspense," Ironwood said, wanting to know more abut what they were up against.

"His name is Shockblast, and he was a soldier under my command."

Everyone in the room was shocked by this revelation.

" _What!?_ You're saying that one of _your_ companions did this!?" Ironwood asked, thinking that Megatron could be behind this.

"I said he _was_ one of my solders," Megatron explained, trying to put everyone at ease, "during the tensest moments of the war between Autobots and Decepticons, Shockblast went rogue and tried multiple times to assassinate me and acquire leadership of _my_ army."

While this information did calm Ozpin and Glynda a bit, Ironwood still had some questions.

"What do you mean 'war'? Aren't you and Optimus Prime teammates? And how come no one knows about this?"

"Alright, one: Prime is still my most hated enemy. Fate just decided to frag me over when we first arrived here. And two: our war _has spread_ outside of our home."

"And how come no one's noticed?" Ironwood continued to interrogate.

"General, I believe we're getting off topic," Ozpin said, trying to redirect this conversation.

"No," Megatron disagreed, "I'll let you in on a little secret. But first, do you know what energon is?"

"No," Ozpin answered almost immediately.

"General, have you encountered a strange, yellow-orange, glowing mineral that inflicts great pain to anyone who makes physical contact with it?"

Ironwood took a minute to process what Megatron described.

"I think so. We're currently trying to find a way to use it as a power source. Why?"

"Because _that_ is energon," Megatron said as a grin formed on his face, "and that is what has kept the Autobots and Decepticons running all this time."

"What do you mean, 'kept them running'?" Glynda asked.

"Allow me to show you," Megatron said as he formed his energy sword in his hand.

This put everyone on guard, cautious as to what Megatron was going to do. However, instead of attacking them, he used his sword to cut open the palm of his hand. Unusually, Megatron seemed unphased by this action. Normally, someone would at least just _wince_ at the pain. But is was as if Megatron didn't feel anything! But that wasn't the strangest thing, no. The strange thing was that, instead of blood, a glowing, green liquid oozed out of Megatron's hand.

" _This_ is energon. The very lifeblood of the Autobots and Decepticons. It has allowed us to live longer than any human or faunus. For example, _I_ am over six _million_ years old!"

This stunned everyone. The fact that Megatron had lived for so long left them speechless.

"This is why no one knows about our battles. They took place over a millennia ago! It was also one of the things we fought for during the great war. Not only does it keep us alive, but substantial amounts of the element give us extra power."

"And this 'Shockblast' character went rogue because he wanted that power, I assume?" Ozpin guessed.

"Indeed. You see, long ago, Cyber- uh- Remnant, was attacked by an all-powerful being named Unicron."

" _Unicron!?_ " Glynda exclaimed.

A chill ran don her spine upon hearing the name of the chaos bringer. It was as if she heard his name before now.

"You've heard of him?" Megatron asked, surprised that she might know who Unicron is.

"I… I thought he was just a legend!"

"Well, you're wrong. When Unicron arrived here, Optimus and I joined forces to defeat him. Twenty years later, Unicron returned, but not how one would expect."

"And that would mean?" Ironwood questioned.

"It means that Unicron was under the control of another, superior being!"

"And just _who_ or _what_ would that be?"

Megatron's eyes flared red before answering, " _me_."

A chill seemed to fill the room when he said that. Glynda was the most affected by it, as she looked almost terrified. Ironwood was shocked as well, but he wasn't frightened. Ozpin on the other hand was almost completely unphased by this.

"And what does this have to do with Shockblast?" Ozpin asked, redirecting the conversation once again.

"Straight to the point? Alright then. Long-story-short, Shockblast was able to temporarily control Unicron, but he was later consumed and, supposedly, destroyed by the chaos bringer. How he managed to survive is beyond me."

"I see," Ozpin said, sitting back down, "you may go now."

Megatron narrowed his eyes at the headmaster, who's expression remained stern as he did.

"Very well," Megatron said as he walked into the elevator, "I hope my information was useful."

Once the doors had closed, Glynda and Ironwood decided to express their concerns.

"Professor, does this mean that what _he_ told us was true?" Glynda asked rather cryptically.

"There's no denying it any longer," Ozpin said as he stood up from his chair and looked out the window, "Megatron is living proof that what he's been telling us about the Autobots and Decepticons, the Minicons, the energon, Alpha-Q, and Unicron is true."

"So, what do we do now?" Ironwood asked, "If Megatron decides to attack us, there's no telling how devastating it would be."

"If Megatron wanted to attack, he would have done so already. And if he does attack us, I have faith that Optimus Prime will pull through. He has in the past, from what we've been told."

"And if Prime can't defeat Megatron again?"

Ozpin was silent for a moment.

"Then may Primus give him, and us, the strength to do so."

(…)

"YOU WHAT!?" Optimus shouted to his nemesis.

"What, you told Ruby about that, didn't you? It's not like this is any different!" Megatron retorted.

After Megatron had gotten back to his and Optimus' room, he told him about how he nearly blew their cover.

"It _is_ different Megatron! Ruby is a trustworthy individual, but she's also a bit naïve."

"So you used her naivety to your advantage? I must say, that's unlike you Prime."

"No, I didn't! I told her because I knew I could trust her with such valuable information. Her being naïve like that was an afterthought. Ozpin on the other hand knows better and will question your every word. You can't just go around boasting that you tamed a _GOD!_ "

Before Megatron could say anything, there was a knock at their door.

"We're not done here," Optimus said as he opened the door.

"Hey Optimus!" It was Ruby, accompanied by her sister Yang, "guess what!"

"Uh, Ruby, I'd be happy to talk with you later, but I'm kind of in the middle of-"

"Arf!"

Optimus was left both confused and surprised when Ruby held up a small, furry, and quite adorable animal in his face.

"What is that?" Megatron asked, never having seen anything like this creature.

"It's our dog!" Yang explained.

"IT'S ZWEI!" Ruby exclaimed before the dog jumped out of Ruby's arms and onto Optimus' face.

Zwei climbed on top of Optimus' head. He rested one of his paws on the right side of Prime's face, covering up his eye, and his other paw was resting just above his left ear. Zwei barked as he looked down from Prime's head and almost into his eyes. But Zwei was unable to maintain balance and fell into Optimus' arms. Optimus looked at Zwei, still confused as to what to do about him.

"Uh, hi?" Optimus said to Zwei.

The corgi's only response was licking Prime's chin.

"Aw, he likes you," Yang pointed out.

"Just keep it away from me," Megatron said, taking a step back from Zwei.

"Wait, how did, er, Zwei, even get here?" Optimus asked.

"Our dad sent him in the mail," Yang answered.

"Your father sent a live animal through the mail?" Prime said, wanting confirmation of what Yang just said.

"Yup!"

But before they could continue their conversation, they were interrupted by a voice over the intercom.

"Will all first year students please report to the amphitheater," the voice said.

"Well then, I guess that's us," Prime said before handing Zwei back to Ruby and grabbing a suspicious looking backpack from off his bed.

"What's in the bag?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Uh, it's nothing interesting. Trust me," Prime said, obviously hiding something, "So, what are you going to do about Zwei?"

"Mmm, I'll think of something," Ruby said.

"Well, dad did send a few dozens of cans of dog food, so Zwei's pretty much all set," Yang answered.

"Well I suppose that settles it," Megatron said as he walked out the door, "this had better be important," he grumbled.

Yang followed closely behind Megatron, and Optimus made his ay out of the room shortly afterward. However, he stopped himself when he noticed that Ruby was still looking at her doggo in the room.

"Ruby, you coming?" Optimus asked.

"Oh, go on ahead, I'll catch up!" Ruby said.

"Alright, see you there."

Once Optimus had left, Ruby let out a mischievous smirk as she looked at Zwei, clearly planning something.

(Later)

After a few minutes of walking, teams RWBY and OMega, as well as JNPR, CRTT, and Leobreaker had finally made it to what was presumably a very important gathering. Our four teams, and lone Autobot, decided to huddle in the same group for the meeting.

"Quiet, quiet please!" Glynda said, trying to get everyone's attention, "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

The amphitheater went quiet as everyone lent their ears to the good professor.

"Today we stand together, united," Ozpin began, "Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale; The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eight years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom. But about the very idea of individualism itself."

These words reminded the transformers of their current war. While Optimus was ashamed to partake in such an action of great conflict, he knew it was necessary for peace.

"We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you all are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny named their children of one of the core aspects of art itself; Color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day."

Optimus felt very motivated by this part of Ozpin's speech. An act such as this was very admirable, and only made Optimus prouder to fight alongside such noble allies.

"We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress, on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter what path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, remember to do your very best."

And so, Ozpin concluded his speech and left the students to select their assignments.

"Stay safe? Huh, that's gonna be a challenge for us," Leobreaker commented.

"You can say that again," Crumplezone added, "we're practically trouble magnets."

"Well, all we have too do now is find a huntsman that is working in the Southeast," Megatron said to the group.

"Well, what're we waiting for, let's go!" Yang said enthusiastically.

"Let's check 'Search and Destroy'," Weiss suggested before they all walked over to the mission options.

"Here we go!" Ruby said once they saw the options for 'Search and Destroy', "Quadrant five needs grimm cleared out."

"Well, it's in the southeast," Blake pointed out.

"Looks like we're on the right track," Prime added.

"Alright, let's go for it!" Leobreaker commented, eager to bust some heads.

Ruby then proceeded to enter her team's name. But to everyone's dismay, the screen replied with, 'mission unavailable to first year students'.

"Well, slag," Optimus sighed.

"Shoot! Anyone else got any ideas?" Thundercracker asked.

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby suggested.

"I don't think that's possible Ruby," Optimus said.

"While you have a point, it is still _one_ option," a man walking towards the group said.

And it was none other than good ol' Ozpin.

"Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of grimm was too extreme for first-year students," Ozpin explained, "It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that you all will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby laughed nervously.

"I'm still curious as to how you all found yourselves at the docs last semester," Ozpin said, "I'm interested to know how you really learned about a 'hideout' in the southeast?"

This made Megatron slightly nervous, but he shook it off after a moment.

"That… is of no concern Professor," Megatron said, "What does matter is that we go to the southeast and defeat Roman Torchwick, _NOW!_ "

"Don't worry, I'm getting there," Ozpin replied, "Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?"

Ozpin then took out his scroll and pressed a few buttons. Once he was finished, the 'Search and Destroy' option became available on the mission screen. Everyone's faces lit up at this sight.

"Thank you Professor," Optimus said, "we promise, we won't fail you."

"I have confidence in you. However, there is a catch."

"And that is?" Leobreaker asked.

"The maximum number of teams for these missions is limited to two. I'm afraid that you, Leobreaker, and you, team CRTT, will have to choose another mission."

"Now hold on just a minute!" Thundercracker exclaimed, "Why do we gotta sit this one out!?"

"Yeah, what about ladies first?" Thunderblast added.

"That's enough," Megatron snapped, getting annoyed of his minions complaining, "You four will just have to chose another mission. Understand?"

"Yes Megatron," the four Cons sighed simultaneously before walking off.

"Sorry Leobreaker, you'll have to find something else to do as well," Optimus said.

"B-but Optimus-"

"That's an order Leobreaker," Optimus commanded.

Leobreaker grunted and crossed his arms in frustration. But his attitude quickly went away as a more optimistic attitude surfaced.

"Alright, then I'll just have to smash some grimm somewhere else!" Leobreaker said enthusiastically, "See you around!"

Once Leobreaker and the Decepticons had finally left, teams RWBY and OMega redirected their attention to the task at hand.

"Thank you again for doing this, Professor," Optimus said.

"Do not thank me for this," Ozpin replied, "Teamwork, persistence, and a bit of stubbornness, have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times. And do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory."

"Oh please. My skills alone are more than enough to handle a few monsters," Megatron boasted.

"I am not speaking entirely to the grimm," Ozpin said, receiving confused, and near concerned looks from the two teams, "good luck to all of you."

(Later)

"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang commented, referring to their little 'pep talk' with Ozpin.

"But it is the truth," Blake added.

"This mission won't be easy," Optimus said, "but I know that, together, we can overcome any obstacle that comes our way."

However, before Optimus could continue, he was interrupted by a lone student walking past him.

"Hey, team CFVY's back!" the student pointed out as he, as well as many others, gathered around the returning team, consisting of the bunny faunus, Velvet, the shogun, Yatsuhashi, the silent Fox, and their stylish leader, Coco.

"Velvet, are you ok?" Blake asked as the group came over to greet her and her team.

"I'm fine," Velvet said, "I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me."

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago," Weiss pointed out, "what happened?"

"N-nothing happened," Velvet answered, "It was just, there were so many."

"Well, at least you and your team made it back in one peace," Optimus said, grabbing the faunus' attention.

"Hey, you're team OMega, right?" Velvet asked.

"Indeed, we are," Megatron replied.

"Megatron and Optimus… Primal?" She questioned.

"Uh, it's 'Prime' actually," Optimus corrected.

"I've heard _so much_ about you two!" Velvet said enthusiastically.

"Do tell," Megatron said, wanting to hear praises of his glory.

"From what I've been told, you two are the most powerful students here. Some say you're practically invincible."

"Well, you're not wrong," Megatron said.

"You two should be fine going up against the grimm, even if you are just first-years."

"We'll do our best out there," Optimus said, "speaking of which, we should probably get going."

"Yeah, me too. It was nice talking with you," Velvet said before returning to her team.

"Alright everyone, you ready?" Optimus asked the others.

"Yeah, we got this!" Ruby replied ecstatically, "We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now!"

"Especially not with our determination," Optimus added.

"Besides, it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine huntsman!"

"Yeah!" Yang exclaimed.

However, once they got to their dropship, the huntsman they were greeted by wasn't exactly the one they had in mind. So much so that teams RWBY and OMega were left befuddled, with Yang and Ruby looking incredibly shocked, Weiss dumbfounded, Blake extremely disappointed, Optimus' faceplate nearly cracking, and Megatron's jaw hit the ground with a heavy thud.

"Why hello boys and girls!" the huntsman said energetically, "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

"Professor Oobleck!?" Weiss questioned in shock.

"Yes I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary everyone," Oobleck said as he began pacing back and forth in front of the two teams, "Seeing as you've opted to shadow a huntsman on what is now a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations. Rather we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland, and making camp in any defendable location we may stumble upon. I've packed all our essentials myself provided the air course and readied the airship."

Eventually, his words all became a blur due to him talking so fast.

"And! It's _Dr._ Oobleck," he corrected Weiss, "I didn't earn a PhD for _fun_ thank you very much!"

Weiss merely responded with a confused, "Uh…"

"Come now children," Oobleck continued, "according to my schedule we are already three minutes behind… schedule!"

Oobleck then zoomed over to the ship at near supersonic speeds and waited for the two teams.

"Well alright then," Ruby tried saying enthusiastically, "looks like we're going to save the world with Dr. Oobleck-ok yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse."

"This is all rather… underwhelming," Megatron added.

"Save the _world_!?" an excited, high-pitched voice shouted from behind the group.

It was Nora, accompanied by the rest of team JNPR.

"You're going on world-saving missions without _us!?_ " Nora questioned, "I'm hurt and sad! Maybe a little hungry. That last one's not my fault though, _Ren_!"

Ren only responded by turning away and crossing his arms.

"Sounds exciting, where are you going?" Jaune asked.

"We're going to be headed just outside the kingdom," Optimus answered.

"Hey! So are we!" Nora exclaimed.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village," Pyrrha explained.

"We head out tomorrow," Ren added.

But before they could continue their conversation, Sun and Neptune walked up to them and joined in.

"Then you can party with us tonight!" Neptune said as he joined the conversation, "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city stuff. We got junior badges."

Jaune marveled at the mention of badges, wanting one of his own.

"We normally go to the city with you guys," Sun said, "which means stuff's always exploding and junk. So we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's y'know, 'normal."

"That's… understandable," Optimus agreed.

However, their chit-chat was cut short by Oobleck shouting, " _Four minutes everyone!_ " getting the two teams back on track.

"Well, uh, wish us luck," Ruby said with a smile and a thumbs up.

(Later again)

"I guess I just never saw you as a fighter," Yang said to Dr. Oobleck.

The gang was already more than halfway to their destination, with team RWBY riding in the ship, and Optimus and Megatron flying beside each side of the ship.

"I admit, I fancy myself more of an… intellectual," Oobleck replied, "But I can assure you, as a huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles."

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked confusedly.

"Those are truffles," Blake corrected.

"Like the sprout?" She said, still confused.

"Those are brussels," Yang corrected this time.

"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history, as well as my dabbling in the art of archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular, assignment!" Oobleck explained to team RWBY.

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked, to which Oobleck was happy to answer.

"My, what a preposterous question you silly girl! Why history is the backbone of our very society. _And the liver!_ And probably the kidneys of I were to wager."

"And that would mean?" Megatron asked.

He was trying his best to listen in on the conversation, though it was hard to hear past the loud hum of the turbines on the ship.

"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves," Oobleck continued to explain, "but it is also the location to one of the kingdoms greatest failures!"

"It's Mountain Glenn, right?" Optimus said, shouting over the engines of the ship, "It was supposed to be an expansion of Vale, but it was overrun by grimm and destroyed."

"Correct!" Oobleck confirmed, "And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder."

"And a likely place for a hideout," Blake added.

"Precisely!" Oobleck said, adjusting his glasses.

At last, after about an hour of flying, the group had finally made it to their destination. The airship hovered a few feet over the ground, allowing Oobleck and team RWBY jump down. Optimus and Megatron did the same as they, as well as the others, took fighting stances, ready for any sudden grimm attack. Oobleck, however, just stood there and took a sip of coffee. Luckily for them, there was no grimm to be seen, to which they all lowered their weapons, and for Optimus to deactivate his super mode. The only one who couldn't really do anything with her weapon was Ruby, considering that Crescent Rose was still under repairs.

"Ladies and gents, you may be students, but as of this moment your first mission as huntsmen and huntress has begun," Oobleck announced, "From this point forward you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"

But before anyone could respond, Oobleck noticed the backpacks that both Optimus and Ruby were wearing.

' _Ruby! Optimus!_ " he shouted, startling them, "I thought I told you to leave all your bags at school!"

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet… so I didn't" Ruby explained.

"I don't think that's going to work Ruby," Optimus muttered to his comrade.

But to his surprise, her excuse _did_ work as Oobleck said to himself, "She's not wrong. Very well you two, leave your bags here. We can pick them up upon our return!"

"But, I-" Ruby tried arguing, but was then cut short.

"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with-"

Just as Oobleck was about to finish his question, a certain corgi popped out of Ruby's backpack. Everyone stared at Zwei, surprised that Ruby brought him with her.

"Get back in the bag," Ruby whispered to her dog, only for him to lick her face.

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought _a dog?_ " Oobleck asked.

"I, uh…"

" _GENIUS!"_

Oobleck then grabbed Zwei and started to spin around with him in his hands.

" _CANINESAREHISTORICALLYKNOWNFORTHEIRPERCEPTIVEANDHIGHTENEDSENCEOFSOUND! MAKINGTHEMEXCELLENTCOMPANIONSFORHUNTSSUCHASOURS!"_ Oobleck stated, though his speech was so quick and energetic that it became kind of a blur.

"I'm a genius!" Ruby said, only for the rest of her team to facepalm in response.

"HOWEVER!" Oobleck said, bolting to Optimus, "I have yet to hear your excuse!"

"Well, you see, uh," Optimus knew he couldn't tell Oobleck what was in the bag, especially in front of Ruby, so he thought of a distraction, "Uh, l-look! A grimm!"

Everyone looked behind them, only to see a lone Beowolf roaming the once great city. Optimus, Megatron, and most of team RWBY readied their weapons, prepared to kill the Beowolf.

"Stop!" Oobleck said, trying to calm their nerves, "there are a number of reasons why grimm would congregate in this particular area. The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity."

Everyone then suddenly looked at Megatron.

"What?" he asked, to which there was no reply.

"Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred; all qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

"So, what now?" Ruby asked as the others lowered their weapons.

"We wait, we track," Oobleck answered, "if the specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"And how long would you recommend we wait, Dr.?" Megatron questioned.

"it's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks, why lone grimm have been known to stand isolated from the pack for months and there's the whole pack!"

Everyone looked back at the grimm, only to see that its companions had arrived.

"What?" Weiss questioned, unsure as to how dozens of Beowolves had shown up unnoticed

"And now they've seen us," Oobleck pointed out.

"WHAT!?" Weiss exclaimed.

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!"" Oobleck shouted at Weiss, startling her.

"Well, I guess this means we don't have to track them down now," Optimus said, raising his sword to fight.

"An accurate assumption, yes," Oobleck confirmed.

"What's the plan then?" Yang asked as the grimm began charging towards them.

"Show me what you're capable of."

(…)

Hey guys, Vector Convoy here! I just wanted to apologize for the long wait. I know I haven't updated in months, and I'm sorry for making you wait. School's just been murdering me over and over, and I haven't had time to update. I'll try to do better in the future and not disappoint ya'll again. Vector Convoy out!


	14. Chapter 17

Chapter 13

Mountain Glenn

Yang was the first to attack as she charged at an oncoming Beowolf. The grimm was about to slash its claws at her, but Yang managed to punch it in the face before it could strike. Next up was Blake as a small group of grimm following Yang turned their attention to her. Blake unsheathed her swords as the grimm surrounded her. As the first Beowolf ran at her, she used her semblance to make a copy of herself, confusing the grimm. With the grimm distracted, Blake cut t in half with a downward slash. She then proceeded to hack and slice away at the rest of the grimm attacking her, aiming primarily for their midsections.

Despite the number of grimm to be seemingly overwhelming, the hunts in training were fairing just fine. Weiss was busy slicing up multiple Beowolves with her sword, not even needing to use its dust features. She dashed towards a group of 5 Beowolves and, with multiple swipes from her weapon, took them down with ease. Unfortunately for Ruby, she still didn't have her weapon, meaning she couldn't join in the fun. For now, all she could do was hang out with Zwei and watch the others fight.

"Well, this is boring," Ruby muttered.

"Don't worry Ruby," Optimus said as he stabbed a few Beowolves with his sword, "you'll get your moment yet."

"I hope so," Ruby sighed.

A large group of 12 Beowolves ran at Optimus, each with the intent to kill, but the Prime showed no hesitation or far as he sprinted and leapt at them. He swiftly descended and sliced each grimm to pieces with a quick spinning slash.

"Didn't even scratch my paint," Prime chuckled, lightly dusting off his armor.

Megatron was doing just as well, if not better. Two grimm came charging at him on both sides, but he flew up in the air at the last second, causing them to crash into each other. Megatron charged up a lightning attack as even more grimm tried jumping at him in the air. He unleashed his attack on the Beowolves, causing their bodies to explode.

"All too easy," Megatron scoffed.

"Do not celebrate yet," Oobleck said as everyone regrouped towards him, "for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?"

The teams spent several hours fighting off the swarms of Beowolves, moving throughout the abandoned city, exhausting them greatly. Even Optimus and Megatron seemed to be getting a bit tired.

"Excellent work everyone!" Oobleck congratulated, "Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh well, moving on!"

"Hey doc," Yang addressed the hyperactive doctor, "I as actually looking forward to seeing a pro huntsman in action. Like, _fighting_ or at least, _helping_ us fight?"

"Ah, but I am in action!" Oobleck replied, "Scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity! Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism!"

"He has a point Yang," Optimus agreed, "there's more to fighting than just using your fists."

Our heroes continued to move throughout the city, tearing through grimm along the way. But that didn't stop Dr. Oobleck from asking a few questions.

"Tell me Yang, why did you choose this line of work?" Oobleck asked.

"W-well, to fight monsters and save-"

"NO! That is what you _do!_ I want to know _why_ you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a huntress."

"The _honest_ reason?" Yang questioned, wanting to confirm what Oobleck was really asking, "I'm a thrill seeker. I wanna travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better! It's a win-win, y'know?"

"I see," Oobleck replied.

For each location they all went to, Oobleck asked one team member the same question. Weiss said how it was her duty to uphold her family legacy and name. Blake said how the world was corrupted, and someone needed to stop this corruption. Oobleck asked her how, but she didn't know the answer.

"Megatron," Oobleck addressed the tyrant, "you don't exactly seem like the heroic type, so why choose to be a huntsman?"

"Simple, this s just a means to an end. Once this is over, I'll finish my dispute with Prime," Megatron answered.

"Very well then."

After cutting down a few more grimm, Oobleck decided that everyone had enough for the day.

"So, are we going to keep moving Doctor?" Optimus asked.

"No, I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon."

Oobleck then threw his backpack at Yang, who fumbled it in her arms before dropping it. He then had WBY and Megatron set up camp in a nearby building, though Megatron refused and just leaned up against a wall. Meanwhile, Oobleck wanted to have a word with Optimus and Ruby as they secured the perimeter. The three rounded the corner of a nearby building, leading to a wide view of the surrounding scenery. But the thing that stood out the most was a pack of massive, elephant-like grimm, called Goliaths, roaming the countryside.

"Incredible," Optimus remarked at the lumbering beasts.

"Indeed they are, Optimus," Oobleck added.

"Let's kill it!" Ruby said, despite her still not having Crescent Rose.

"Ruby, I need to tell you something," Optimus said, facing his fellow leader.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Have you ever thought that it's possible for two different races of beings to coexist with each other?"

"I mean, aside from humans and faunus, no."

"Look at those grimm out there," Prime said, pointing to the Goliaths in the distance, "if they wanted to attack us, they would've done so already. I can tell that they know not to fight. They just want to be in peace. Does this make sense?"

"Uh, kind of?"

"Let me put it this way; It is possible for something evil to want peace, and for that formerly evil thing to want to live in peace with its enemy."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Oobleck said, proud of Optimus' speech, "Well done Prime."

"I think I get it now," Ruby said, starting to understand Optimus' words, "but there's something I wanna ask."

"Is it about why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?" Oobleck guessed.

"Actually, I wanted to ask… Why do you do what you do Optimus?" (Oobleck:Ohokthen)

"Because I believe that freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and, it's like I said, I just want everyone to live in peace," Optimus answered.

(Later)

It was night time. Everyone had finished setting up camp in one of the broken buildings and settled down for the time being. Though, despite being given the opportunity to take a break, they were still feeling frustrated.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything," Yang complained.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time," Blake said, "I guess we can't always have luck on our side."

Weiss was about to speak her mind, but was interrupted when Optimus, Oobleck, and Ruby arrived at camp earlier than expected.

"Well, you can't expect everything to go your way all the time," Optimus said as he sat down by the fire.

" _Fire!_ " Ruby exclaimed, huddling in front of the flame, "sooooo waaaarm."

"Very good, eat your dinners and hurry to bed," Oobleck instructed as he zipped into the room, "We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow, and we'll need to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?"

"I'll do it," Optimus raised his hand.

"Oh, uh, me too!" Ruby said, seeing this as an opportunity to have some alone time with Optimus.

Optimus and Ruby went to step outside to keep watch over camp, but they were stopped by Yang.

"Hey, did Oobleck ask why you guys wanted to be and huntsman and huntress?" she asked.

"No, he didn't ask," Optimus answered, "though Ruby did ask me, and I gave my answer. Anyway, we'd better go. Rest up everyone."

As the two went outside to guard camp, everyone else set up their sleeping bags and at least tried to have a well-deserved rest. After a few minutes, everyone seemed to have fallen asleep. Or at least, that's what it looked like. Unknown to anyone, Megatron slowly rose up from his sleeping bag, careful not to make any sound. He looked at everyone to make sure they were asleep. Once Megatron knew he was in the clear, he quietly crept out of the room. Once he made his way out of the building, he opened a warp gate leading to a location underground.

"She had better not have lied to me," Megatron muttered before stepping through the gate.

Once he reached the other side, he was surprised to see that, instead of just some open cave system, there was an entire city beneath the surface.

"So, Roman was right under our noses this whole time? Interesting."

Megatron roamed the underground city for a few minutes, trying to find where exactly Roman and the White Fang were operating. Fortunately, he didn't have to search for much longer. In an open part of the city, there was a large group of White Fang members loading up a bunch of crates onto a train. And in the midst of it all was none other than Roman Torchwick, barking orders as usual. But his insipid demands ceased when he noticed Megatron walking up to him. The faunus noticed as well and pointed their guns at him.

"Easy people," Roman said as he walked up to the Decepticon leader, "he's on our side."

"So, Cinder told you about our little 'encounter' at the tower I assume?" Megatron guessed.

"She sure did," Roman replied with a smirk on his face, "and honestly, I kinda feel like she deserves it. She hasn't even told me her plans, how rude!"

'Yes, well, I just thought you'd like to know that Optimus and the huntresses are here looking for you," Megs informed him.

"Excuse me, they're _here? NOW!?_ " Roman questioned in shock.

"They are. So, I suggest that you hurry before they find you. I'll see you soon."

"You're not even gonna help out with our little pest problem?" Roman asked.

"Sorry, but I have to maintain cover. At least until the Vytal Festival. That's going to be _fun!_ "

(…)

Optimus and Ruby had been watching over the camp for almost an hour. There hadn't been any grimm activity, aside from the occasional lone Beowolf. Overall, things were looking fairly peaceful, something this group of people didn't get to experience much.

"See anything," Ruby asked Optimus.

"Nope, everything's quiet."

"Too quiet?"

"No, just quiet enough."

Optimus leaned back on the wall behind him. Seeing as how everything seemed normal, he decided to take a temporary rest. Ruby did the same as she sat down next to him.

"So, um, how have things been going for you lately," Ruby asked, trying to make small talk.

"Things have been… things have been alright, I suppose," Prime said, though he didn't really mean it, considering that there was a situation back in his universe and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Yeah, me too, I guess. *Sigh* I'm sorry, I'm no good at conversations."

"No, it's ok. I get it."

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes.

"Hey Ruby?" Optimus said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"We've been friends for a few months now, but I feel like there's still so much I don't know about you."

"Ok, what do you want to know?"

"Well, how about your family for starters? I mean, I already know about Yang, but, what about your parents?"

"My parents? Ok, well, my dad, Taiyang, lives in a small house in Patch. It's a bit of a trip from Vale, but not too far. He was the one who taught Yang how to fight. He even helped make her weapons. He's really nice and maybe a bit too protective. Luckily, he still let me, and Yang become huntresses. Also, his puns are worse than Yang's," that last part made the two snicker for a moment, "Then there's my uncle, Qrow. He's the one who taught me how to fight with my scythe. Though now, I guess I can't really do any fighting."

"Well, don't worry, I'm almost done fixing your weapon. But back on topic, what about your mother, what was she like?"

Ruby winced at the mention of her mother. She hesitated, as if she didn't want to talk about her.

"My mom, Summer… died… when I was still just a little kid," Ruby said, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of crying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Ruby. We don't have to keep talking about it if you don't want to."

"No, it's ok. My mom was probably the bravest, sweetest person I knew. Dad even told me I was just like her. She would always read me stories about Huntsmen and Huntresses before bed, and I wanted to be just like the warriors in those stories. But one day, she went on a mission, and later, dad told us what had happened to her. Yang was devastated, and I was too young to understand what was going on at the time. A few years had passed, and I finally understood what happened. Mom was gone, and she wasn't… she wasn't coming back."

Ruby then began to softly cry. Now, just thinking of her mother caused her to cry even more. Optimus tried to comfort her by putting a hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm her down. But she just kept crying.

"Ruby, I'm so, so sorry about what happened. I do know how you feel, and it's a terrible feeling. But there's times when you realize that you just have to move on and keep pushing forward. I'm sure it's what your mother would have wanted. I'm sure it's what _they_ would have wanted."

"What do you mean _they_?" Ruby questioned as she finally started to calm down.

"I… I think that's a story for another time," Optimus said, trying to avoid the question.

"Hey *sniff* I opened up my insecurities to you, now it's your turn."

"*Sight*… alright. During our battles with the Decepticons, I lost many, many brave soldiers. But I also lost some of my frien… my family. Smokescreen, Inferno, Alpha-Q, Starscream, and many others. But, over years of experiencing loss, I learned to let go of the past, and look ahead to the future. When I think of those I lost, I'm thankful. I'm thankful that they were a part of my life, and I know they'll forever live on in my spark."

Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes, finally calmed down.

"Yeah, you're right," She said. She then suddenly wrapped her arms around Optimus and held onto him tightly, "thank you."

Optimus didn't know what to do. He was going to say something, but noticed that Ruby had just fallen asleep, tuckered out from her crying. That and fighting grimm all day. Optimus just decided to leave her clinging to him as he closed his eyes to rest too.

"Sleep tight, Ruby…"

(…)

Hey everyone, Vector Convoy here, just wanting to wish y'all a happy Thanksgiving. God bless you all. Now, rip into that bird!


	15. Chapter 18

Chapter 14

Terrorize Pt. 1

" _Optimus_ …"

An earie voice echoed through the darkness.

" _Optimus…_ "

It was soothing yet discomforting.

" _Optimus_ …"

It was calling him. _Guiding_ him.

Optimus wandered through the infinite blackness, curious as to what was going on.

'What is this place?' he wondered to himself.

" _Optimus…_ "

There it was again. Optimus looked around the void he was seemingly trapped in for the source of the voice, but found nothing but darkness.

'Where is that voice coming from?' he thought.

Optimus continued to traverse this inky-black realm, though he couldn't help but feel that someone, or _something_ , was watching him. However, Optimus stopped walking when he noticed that something was wrong. More wrong than what was already going on. He slowly looked behind him, cautious of what might be there. What he saw sent chills up his spine. An extremely pale woman in a black dress, about his height, was giving him a rather haunting look. It was the same woman who's been plaguing Prime's dreams ever since he arrived on Remnant.

"Hello Optimus," the woman said.

She seemed rather calm, and relatively harmless, though Prime's previous dreams about her beg to differ.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Optimus questioned.

"My name… is Salem," she replied, "and I have a proposition for you."

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked skeptically.

"I want you to join me," Salem said rather ominously.

"Give me one good reason why," Optimus demanded.

"Alright then. If you join me, you won't have to witness _this_."

Suddenly, the shadows filling the area disappeared, and now, instead of seeing unending darkness, Optimus saw what looked like a planet similar to earth.

"Is that… Remnant?" he questioned.

But that wasn't all. Taking a closer look, Optimus saw that there was a massive figure rising behind the planet. Though it was only a silhouette, Optimus could still make out distinct features. It had glowing red eyes, a pair of skeletal wings, huge claws, and a pair of large horns atop its head. Finally, Optimus realized who exactly the figure was.

"No… not you!" Prime said as the figure flew back from the planet and opened its chest.

A green ball of light formed at the center of its chest, and without warning, it fired a massive blast of energy towards the planet. Optimus watched in horror as Remnant was destroyed in mere seconds.

" _NOOOOOOOO!"_ Optimus screamed in rage and terror.

And as the planet disintegrated, the blast spread and engulfed everything in sight, including Optimus.

(…)

Optimus' eyes shot open as he awoke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

"Thank Primus, it was just a dream," Optimus said with a sigh of relief.

He looked at Ruby, who was still clinging onto him, and smiled. He was glad that she was safe. That everyone was safe. And though Optimus kept telling himself that this occurrences were just dreams, he couldn't help but feel that there's something more to them. Something sinister. However, Optimus had no time to ponder on that thought as he saw Zwei get up and scamper out of camp.

"Zwei, wait," Optimus shout-whispered, but Zwei had already left.

He gently shook Ruby, causing her to wake up.

"Ggh… huh? What… what's going on?" Ruby asked groggily.

"Zwei just walked out of camp," Optimus explained, "we have to go get him."

"What! O-ok, let's *yawn* go," Ruby said.

But when she tried to get up, she noticed that her arms were locked onto Optimus' waist. She and Optimus both blushed heavily as Ruby jolted back from her friend.

"*Ahem* anyways, we have no time to waist. Let's go," Optimus said as he and ruby got up and left camp in search of Zwei.

Once they reached the exit of the building they were hiding out in, they both called out for Zwei, looking around to make sure he didn't go far. Luckily, Zwei was just doing his business only a few yards away from the building.

"Ugh, Zwei, this is a wasteland," Ruby groaned, "You literally could've done that anywhere."

"She has a point pup," Optimus added, "now, let's get back to-"

"What was that?" There was a voice in the distance.

Optimus and Ruby hid behind a nearby wall, trying not to get spotted.

"What was what?" another voice asked.

Optimus and Ruby peeked from behind the wall and saw two White Fang members roaming the streets.

"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something."

"Let's just finish up this job and get back to base."

Once the White Fang thugs started walking off, Prime and Rubes followed them, doing their best to stay undetected. Eventually, the thugs lead our two heroes to the entrance of their hideout.

"Alright, this is it," Optimus said, "let's contact the others."

Ruby pulled out her scroll and tried contacting the rest of her team. Unfortunately, the signal from the CCT didn't reach this far out, so there was no signal.

"Agh, scrap," Optimus cursed, "c'mon, let's go."

But as they were walking back, they stopped when they felt the ground underneath them start to give way. Before they could react, the floor crumbled away, causing them both to fall. Lucky for them, Optimus managed to grab onto the ledge with one hand and catch Ruby with the other.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine!" Ruby replied.

Optimus tried pulling the both of them up, but the ledge he was hanging onto was also starting to loosen. He knew he couldn't get them both up, so in an act of heroism, he swung Ruby upwards, allowing her to land safely on the surface.

"Quick! Grab on!" Ruby said as she reached out her hand to him.

Optimus attempted to grab hold, but the rest of the concrete he was holding onto finally gave away, causing him to fall into the dark pit.

"OPTIMUS!" Ruby shouted as she saw Optimus descend into darkness.

(…)

Back at camp, Yang had just finished her night shift and was about to wake up Weiss for hers'. That is, until she noticed the absence of the two leaders.

"Hey, where's Optimus and Ruby?" she questioned.

"Megatron's missing as well!" Oobleck said, waking everyone up.

Suddenly, Zwei and Ruby ran into the room. Both had worried expressions on their faces.

"Ruby? What's going on?" Blake asked, getting out of her sleeping bag.

"Optimus and I were following some thugs and then the ground fell underneath us! Optimus managed to save me, but he fell underground! We have to help him, we have to go NOW!" Ruby was talking so fast her teammates could barely keep up.

"Ruby, slow down!" Weiss said, putting her hand on her leader's shoulder, "now repeat what you said, _slowly_."

"Ok, ok," Ruby said catching her breath, "I think we found where the White Fang are hiding, but Optimus is in trouble."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Oobleck asked, "if we are to act, we must act now!"

(…)

As Optimus started to wake from his unconscious state, he noticed that he was no longer in the city ruins, but rather, what looked like some sort of underground facility, and that he was also being dragged along the ground by a pair of thugs. Though he couldn't quite tell, his vision was still rather blurry, as was his memory. He remembered the ground falling out from him and Ruby, and then hitting his head when he reached the bottom of the whole. He couldn't remember anything passed that.

Once his vision started to clear up, he saw two figures talking to each other. The first figure he recognized as Roman Torchwick, but the other he couldn't make out quite yet. At first it looked like… _Megatron?_ But that's impossible, how could he know about this place. But before he could confirm that it was Megatron, one of the thugs clonked him on the head, causing his vision to go blurry again. After a few more seconds, he fully regained his vision and saw that the figure whom he thought was Megatron had just disappeared. Something wasn't right about this. Though Prime couldn't continue his hypothesis, as one of the thugs informed Roman of the situation.

"Hey boss!" the White Fang faunus said, "We found something you might want to see!"

"What is… Oh, you've got to be kidding," Roman said, frustrated.

"Roman Torchwick," Optimus said, standing up, "What are you planning?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a voice said from above Prime.

Optimus looked up to the source of the voice only to find a certain cybernetic psychopath hovering above him.

"Shockblast. I see you have a new arm," Optimus pointed out.

"And I have _you_ to thank for that!" Shockblast said hatefully as he descended in front of Optimus, "it might not be as good as the last one, but it'll have to do."

Shockblast then charged up his arm cannon and aimed it at Optimus' face, eagerly looking forward to blowing his head off. However, something had changed his mind, something he really didn't like.

"Sadly, I can't kill you," Shockblast said, confusing Optimus, "my boss told me to make sure you stay alive. For now. She says you're necessary to her 'master plan'."

Suddenly, it clicked. Optimus knew clearly who Shockblast was taking orders from, but this only made him more determined to put a stop to _her_ plan, whatever it may be.

"So," Roman interjected, "what should I do with him?"

"Keep him restrained," Shockblast commanded, "he's not going to interfere with our plan."

Optimus smirked under his faceplate.

"I wouldn't bet on that," Optimus said as he broke free from the faunus holding him and bashed their heads together, knocking them unconscious. "OPTIMUS, SUPER MODE!"

(…)

"Here's where he fell," Ruby said, pointing at the large whole in the ground.

"Oh my, of course" Oobleck said, putting together the last pieces of the puzzle, "Of course, of course of _course!_ "

But as Oobleck was in the middle of his revelation, Yang had noticed that Optimus wasn't the only one missing.

"Hey, where's Megatron?" she questioned.

Though she didn't need to look far as Megatron had oh so conveniently appeared behind the group, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What's going on?" he asked, though everyone paused for a moment, growing suspicious of where exactly he was.

"Where… were you?" Weiss asked, skeptical of their 'comrade'.

"Answer my question first," Megatron demanded, slightly aggravating Weiss.

"Optimus fell underground, and it think Oobleck is having some sort of episode," Ruby answered.

"ON THE CONTRARY!" Oobleck shouted as he dashed next to Ruby, causing her to jump out of her skin, "I believe I have finally solved this mystery!"

"Well? Don't just leave us in suspense!" Yang said.

"Mountain Glenn: An expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by the creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people, commuting to the city, the _main_ city, developed a subway system to the _inner_ city!"

"Get to the point!" Megatron said, getting quite annoyed.

"My boy, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an _UNDERGROUND_ crime network!"

"So, what you're saying is that this city was just a front for the real city beneath our feet?" Megatron deduced.

" _Precisely!_ And Now Optimus has fallen into the city, and with any luck, he's putting a stop to the White Fang's plans as we speak! But that does not mean we can just sit around and let him fight what is quite possibly an _army!_ "

"Then let's hurry up and help him!" Ruby said, full of determination.

(…)

Meanwhile underground, Optimus was doing just what Oobleck had predicted, fighting off dozens of the White Fang, trying his best to stop their plan. Though the seemingly endless numbers of thugs _and_ Shockblast weren't making this easy.

"Give it up Prime!" Shockblast shouted, "you can't win!"

Shockblast then fired a blast from his cannon, only for Optimus to backhand it and charge straight at the former Decepticon. Shockblast tried to fly away, but he wasn't fast enough as Optimus swiftly flew behind him and punched him in the stomach, followed by an uppercut and several jabs to his chest. Prime finished his attack by slamming Shockblast into the ground by bashing him on the head with both his fists.

Shockblast dug into the ground with his claw hand, filled with rage as he pushed himself to his feet. He gritted his teeth and reeled back his fist for a punch, but Optimus caught it before it could make contact with his face.

"I've gotten a lot stronger than the last time we crossed paths," Optimus swung Shockblast around and locked his arms around his torso, "and you've only been blinded by your anger!"

Optimus then proceeded to suplex him into the ground. But this didn't keep him down for long. Shockblast used a blast from his cannon arm to propel himself back up. He dashed backwards and, once he was at a safe distance, fired a blast at Optimus, only for him to fire back with one of his cannons. Their two beams collided and pushed against each other, with the blue and red colors of their beams mixing at the center of the collision.

"I thought you said your boss wouldn't let you kill me!" Optimus said.

"She never said anything about beating you to _near_ death! Now, face the power… of _SHOCKBLAST!_ "

Shockblast began to put more and more energy into his weapon. He could feel his limbs going numb as he diverted all his power to his attack, but he didn't care. All he wanted was revenge against those who caused his demise. The color in his mechanical body parts began to fade and sparks began to fire from his body.

"Shockblast, STOP! You'll rip yourself apart!" Optimus shouted, trying to stop him from ripping himself apart, but he wouldn't listen.

The beam from Shockblast's weapon began to push Optimus' beam back further and further. This power was too overwhelming for Optimus to handle. But as he desperately tried to increase the power of his own attack, Optimus noticed something wrong with Shockblast, more so than just the damage he's done to himself. His eye had turned from a lime green, to a flaming orange. Optimus had only seen Shockblast like this once, but to see this happen again?

"Shockblast… he's still… still under _his_ influence! But… how? He was… _destroyed!_ I have to put a stop to this! But… if I use my cyber key… he'll die!"

Optimus didn't know what to do. If he were to use his cyber key, he could overpower Shockblast, but that would also overload his systems and destroy him. But if he didn't, then Shockblast would put him out of commission, possibly for good!

"Argh… what can I do!?" Optimus questioned, caught in his mental and physical struggle.

 _"Optimus!"_ a faint voice cried out from far away.

"Wait, was that… Ruby?"

Suddenly, a spiral of red rose pedals slammed itself into Shockblast's side, causing both him and Optimus to shut down their weapons. The pedals came to a halt in front of Optimus and dissipated, and at the center of the disappearing pedals was none other than Ruby Rose herself. Optimus breathed a sigh of relief before collapsing onto one knee, trying to recover from his fight.

"Hey *pant* you ok?" Ruby asked as she extended her hand to Optimus.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Optimus said, taking hold of Ruby's hand.

Once Optimus was back on his feet, Ruby suddenly wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're safe," she sighed.

Optimus smile under his mask as he hugged Ruby back. Though their sweet moment was interrupted by Blake as she pointed out their current situation.

"Hey, we still have a problem here," she said.

"R-right, of course," Optimus said as he and Ruby let go of each other, "Roman and the White Fang loaded up dozens of mechs, robots, and dust containers onto the train cars."

"Bah, that's ridiculous! These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead end!" Oobleck said, only to eat his own words afterwards.

"Get to your places, we are leaving _now_!" Roman said over an intercom just before the train started going through the tunnels.

"What do we do now?" Megatron asked.

"Everyone," Optimus said, readying his weapons, "we're stopping that train."

However, before the group could make their move, they heard Shockblast laughing at them.

"Hehe, you think I'm going to let you off that easy," he said, struggling to stand back up.

Parts of his body were still shorting out, and his cannon arm was smoking.

"Shockblast, please, stand down," Optimus pleaded, "you don't have to fight."

"Oh? Who said I'll be the one fighting?" he replied rather ominously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss questioned.

Shockblast smirked, "We've been stealing raw energon, but the thing is, we've had time to harvest it. Take a look in one of the crates Roman left behind."

Cautiously, Optimus and Megatron walked over to one of the abandoned crates and pried off the lid. Inside was a pile of green energon stars.

"But, how?" Optimus questioned, "the only ones able to harvest energon are the Omnicons and… oh… slag."

Everyone went quiet. Optimus and Megatron knew what was going on, and team RWBY could tell that this was a trap. After a few more moments of silence, a deep growling sound could be heard echoing throughout the cave. The growling was then followed bu screeching, similar to the sound of a bird.

"What… what is that?" Yang asked, somewhat frightened.

"Those, my dear Yang… are the Terrorcons," Megatron answered and, as if summoned by the name, a massive horde of mechanical vultures and jaguars slowly crept and hovered out from the darkness of the cavern.

"No one make any sudden moves," Optimus said as the group slowly backed away from the Terrorcons.

"Prime, you and the others go stop Roman, I'll hold off the Terrorcons," Megatron ordered.

"You can't fight all of them alone," Optimus argued.

"We don't have time to discuss this Optimus, now go!"

Knowing Megatron wouldn't comply, Optimus reluctantly nodded, and he and the others started to make their way to the train. But for some reason, Yang wasn't following them.

"Yang, come on!" Ruby said, but she wouldn't listen.

"I'm staying with Megatron," she said, readying her gauntlets, "I'm not gonna let him have all the fun."

Megatron was the most surprised by Yang's actions. Not once in his entire career has he seen someone want to willingly fight beside him. Not as a soldier, nor a slave, but rather, as a friend.

"Let her stay," Megatron requested, "as much as it pains me to admit, I could use some *sigh* help."

"Alright then, good luck you two," Optimus said as he and the others went to catch up to the train.

"Are you ready?" Megatron asked.

"You bet I am," Yang replied enthusiastically.

"Good," was all Megatron said before the two of them charged at the army of mechanical beasts.

This was going to be the fight of their lives.


	16. Chapter

Chapter 15

Terrorize: Part 2

When Megatron and Yang signed up for this mission, all they expected was a few grimm and thugs. Instead, they got way more than they bargained for.

"Let's see how you get out of this one Megatron," Shockblast taunted.

"You think we can take 'em all Megs?" Yang asked, though Megatron was unresponsive. "Uh, Megs?"

Yang looked at Megatron and saw a few beads of sweat dripping from his face. He almost looked as if he was nervous.

'Blast! If I were still in my normal body, I could easily wipe out these pests,' Megatron thought, 'but as it stands, I'm not as strong in this human form. Argh, why did I even volunteer to stay behind?'

"As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think I can fight all of them. We'll have to run when the opportunity comes," Megatron answered.

"You were always a coward Megatron," Shockblast mocked.

Megatron was about to respond to Shockblast's insult, but it turns out he didn't have to as Yang did it for him.

"Hey, Megatron is _not_ a coward!" she snapped, "He's one of the bravest people I've met!"

"Hah! You don't know him like I do. He'd leave you for dead the second the situation got out of hand!"

"Really? Doesn't seem like that's what he's doing now. Megatron has never let me down, and so long as he's here, I'm going to stay by his side," Yang then turned to face Megatron, "no matter what."

Megatron was confused. While every Decepticon under his command had been loyal, they've all betrayed him at one point. But with Yang, her loyalty seamed truly genuine. Was this what true friendship felt like?

'Huh, no wonder Prime is so fond of his companions,' Megatron thought, though his thoughts were interrupted when Shockblast spoke again.

"So, what is it gonna be? Are you going to make this easy, or are we gonna do things the _hard_ way?"

"You know, I think that all depends on perspective," Megatron said, pushing aside his nervousness.

"Pardon?" Shockblast questioned.

"Giving up is a challenge for me. But defeating you? _HA!_ I won't even break a sweat."

Now Shockblast was pissed, " _TERRORCONS, ATTACK!_ "

"Let's kick some robot chassis!" Yang shouted as she and Megatron readied themselves for the attack.

Like a massive wave in front of a small sailboat, the Terrorcons leapt into the air, with every intention to eradicate Yang and Megatron. But they wouldn't be disposed of so easily. As the metal beasts began to pounce and swoop in at the two, Yang and Megatron began to punch and slice away at them. Three ground Terrorcons jumped at Megatron, but he quickly disposed of them with one swipe from his sword, cutting them all in half. However, one of the flying Terrorcons almost managed to get the drop on him, but luckily Yang fired a blast from her gauntlets, hitting the robo-bird right in the face.

"I got your back Megs!" Yang said as she winked at her current partner.

Megatron smiled in return and continued fighting. One after another, the Terrorcons kept charging at the duo, but for everyone that came, Yang and Megatron ripped through them like nothing. Several land Terrorcons slammed their mace-tails into Yang's body, though their attacks only gave her more strength. She used her gauntlets to propel herself in the air, then again to launch her at a large group of Terrorcons below her. She aimed her fist towards the ground, and upon impact, created a decent sized explosion of energy, obliterating several of the beasts.

"Cyber Key power!" Megatron yelled as his cyber key inserted into his back, unlocking one of his weapons.

His Death Machine Gun launched itself into his hand, and he proceeded to mow down several Terrorcons.

"Cyber Key power!" He shouted again, unlocking his other weapon.

His Death Claw combined with his left arm and he used it to swiftly cut through several dozen Terrorcons.

"Is this all you have to offer? HA! Truly, the great Shockblast can do better than this!" Megatron mocked as he continued to dismantle the Terrorcons.

Shockblast was infuriated, but he knew that he couldn't fight Megatron, especially in the condition he was in now. Right now, he needed to get out of here, but with Megatron so easily tearing apart the Terrorcons. He needed a distraction, but what could he do to make his escape? If he knocked over a building on top of Megatron, he would just blast right through it. Not to mention Yang would attack him if he tried hurting Megatron.

Yang…

An evil grin formed on Shockblast's face, as he charged up his cannon. Though instead of putting all his power into his weapon, he only used around 60%, just enough to take down a medium sized group of people. Or in this case, a supercharged huntress.

"Lights out, Blondie," Shockblast cackled.

Suddenly, while Shockblast's weapon was still charging, a red energy blast hit him in his back, causing Shockblast to miss his target and fall to the ground. Instead, the blast shot toward Megatron. However, while in the middle of smashing the remaining Terrorcons, Yang took notice of the stray bolt of energy and decided to act.

"MEGATRON!" She shouted as she ran to him, as an attempt to warn him of the oncoming attack, but he didn't listen.

His violent nature had overtaken him. He was enjoying ripping apart the Terrorcons so much that his lust for spilt energon had blocked out all of his other senses. Yang knew she had to do something, and fast. She fired a couple blasts from her gauntlets, launching her just in between Megatron and the energy beam. Megatron finally snapped out of his murderous frenzy when he heard a loud cry of pain from Yang.

"Yang?" Megatron said with concern.

He went wide eyed when he saw what happened. Time seemed to slow down for him as he witnessed Shockblast's attack tore into Yang's chest. A look of major concern formed on his face just before the blast pushed Yang's body into Megatron's causing them both to fall to the ground.

"YANG!" Megatron shouted with great concern as he reoriented himself.

He sat down onto his knees and held Yang in his arms.

"Yang… Yang, SAY SOMETHING!" he continued to shout, but Yang was unresponsive.

Megatron's expression of concern turned to one of horror once he saw the wound from the energy blast. A massive burn mark covered her chest and run along the side of her neck, up to the bottom left corner of her face. He quickly put two of his fingers on her neck, checking for a pulse.

…

…

…

She was alive, but just barely. Megatron breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his companion was still breathing. But his comfort quickly turned into a more negative emotion; rage. He felt nothing but pure hatred at the moment. But who to take it out on? Who was responsible for this? Quietly, Megatron uttered a name through gritted teeth.

"Shockblast…"

Megatron carefully picked up Yang and lay her down inside a nearby building. The Terrorcons were about to attack, but Shockblast signaled them to stand down. Thinking that Megatron was vulnerable in this emotional state, Shockblast slowly walked over to him, changing his plan of escape to finally finishing of his most hated enemy.

"Now that she's out of the way, we can finally finish this," Shockblast said with a smirk.

Megatron didn't even respond to Shockblast's challenge once he stepped out of the building he placed Yang in.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Shockblast shouted, demanding attention.

"You hurt Yang," Megatron said quietly, his voice sounding more intimidating than ever, "you hurt my _friend_."

"Tch, friend? Please, like anyone would ever see you as anything other than the piece of slag that you are!" Shockblast scoffed, "And no one ever will, because I'm about to put you out of my misery!"

Shockblast pointed his cannon at Megatron, but he didn't stop walking towards him.

"H-hey, you get back!" Shockblast threatened, charging up his weapon, this time at full power.

Megatron kept walking.

"S-stay back I said!"

Shockblast took a few steps back.

"This is your last chance! I'm warning you!"

Soon Shockblast found himself pinned up against a wall, with a very angry Megatron staring a look of death into his spark.

"Go ahead… fire," Megatron said coldly.

Almost hesitantly, Shockblast fired his cannon directly into Megatron's chest, but once the steam cleared from the heat of the blast, he was shocked to see that Megatron didn't even have a scratch. Shockblast fired several more times, each time just as futile as the first. Before Shockblast could fire again, Megatron gripped his shoulder and began to crush it. If he had nerves in that arm, he would be screaming right now.

"Such a pitiful excuse for a weapon," Megatron said as he ripped Shockblast's arm off with ease.

Shockblast was terrified.

"Beg…" Megatron said.

"W-what?"

"Beg for your life, and I may spare you."

Shockblast tried to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.

"No? Then you shall face oblivion."

Suddenly, Megatron's body began to glow a bright, menacing purple flame. It looked as if he was going to use his aura sword, but something seemed different. The flames emitting from Megatron's body dispersed onto the ground and began to reform behind him. The flames then took form of what looked like a massive titan, nearly 10 times Megatron's own height. The titan slowly began to change from scorching fire to cold metal. Shockblast grew more fearful once he realized just what, or rather _who_ , this being was.

Parts of its body resembled that of multiple naval ships combined. Its legs were formed from a ferry, its arms were two halves of an aircraft carrier, and its chest was an armed pontoon boat, with a pair of four cannons on the chest.

"Oh… slag…" Shockblast whimpered, staring up at the behemoth.

The titan loomed over Shockblast, and bellowed, " _ **TIDAL WAVE!**_ "

However, this was not the original Tidal Wave, but a copy. Megatron merely created a being with a likeness to his greatest warrior, and he could do so with anyone or anything else who had fallen in battle or otherwise. Megatron had found his semblance.

"I'll leave you two to be reacquainted with each other," Megatron said as he started walking back to where Yang was resting, "As for me, I have someone to take care of."

Megatron then picked up Yang and opened up a warp gate. He looked at her somberly, hoping that she would pull through when this was all over.

'You're going to be fine,' he thought before stepping through the warp gate.

Now, there was just Shockblast and Tidal Wave.

"Tidal Wave remembers Shockblast…" Tidal Wave growled as he leaned in closer to Shockblast, "Shockblast… _baaaad._ "

…

Megatron now stood within his own fiery realm, the same realm where he fought Optimus before coming to Remnant. He looked at Yang once more, growing more concerned for her by the moment. But one question lingered in his mind.

'Why am I doing this?' he asked himself, 'why do I care so much about this human, someone who should be beneath me? Perhaps it is because… she's the only one who was willing to see me as a friend? Perhaps I am starting to feel the same about her? No… no this is different. This feeling is not one of friendship, it's… oh.'

Megatron stood silent for a moment, taking in this sudden realization.

"I… _love_ her…"

He understood clearly now. He understood why he stayed behind, why he was so worried about the life of a human. He wanted to protect her because he loved her. He wanted to tell her so badly, but now he might not even get the chance. He could sense Yang's life force slipping away, she wouldn't survive for much longer.

"No, it won't end like this," Megatron vowed as he opened another warp gate, this time leading back to the surface, "I will save you, no matter what it takes."

But how would he do that? He had no medical supplies, and even if he did, he still wouldn't know how to treat her. Then, he had an idea.

'I pray to Primus that this works,' he thought as he set Yang on the ground reached for his own chest.

Megatron grit his teeth in pain as purple static surged from his hand and into his chest. After a few seconds, a bright blue orb slowly phased through Megatron's chest and into the palm of his hand. It was his very own spark.

"Slag, that was more painful than I thought," he gasped, "but it'll be worth it."

Megatron then carefully started pulling on opposite ends of his spark, trying to split it in two. Once his spark was pulled in half, Megatron felt a sharp pain throughout his entire body, like thousands of sharp needles were stabbing him all at once. He did his best to fight back the pain as he took one of the halves of his spark and gently placed it into Yang's chest. Afterwards, he placed the rest of his spark back into his own chest, stopping most of the pain.

He waited a moment, hoping for some kind of reaction. Luckily, he got just what he was hoping for. Yang's wounds began to heal at a steady pace, and after a few minutes, she looked as though she wasn't even touched.

He held Yang in his arms again and waited for a response from her.

"Yang? Please, say something," Megatron said, holding Yang closer.

Yang was still silent. No words were spoken, and no breaths were taken.

"No… I was too late. I'm sorry," Megatron pressed his forehead against Yang's, his spark filled with sorrow.

…

"I knew you cared," a soft voice said.

Megatron gasped and looked at Yang. His spark flooding with joy upon seeing Yang was still alive. She slowly opened her eyes and rested her hand on Megatron's shoulder.

"Thank Primus you're ok," Megatron sighed in relief.

"I think I might have to thank you," Yang said as Megatron let go of her and she stood to her feet, "What did you do?" She extended her hand and helped Megatron to his feet.

Megatron tried to find his footing but stumbled a bit before he did.

"It's… *sigh* it's a long story," Megatron said, exhausted, "I'll tell you everything once this is all over. But for now, let's help the others."

Megatron then opened up another warp gate, with Yang responding with a surprised 'woah'.

"Wait, so is this your semblance?" Yang asked.

"No… it's something I've been able to do even before I came here, to this world."

"'This world'? Megatron, you're not making sense."

"Like is said, I'll explain _everything_."

(…)

Hey everyone, it's Vector Convoy again. Um, ok, I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry this chapter is kind of short. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for making ya'll wait so long, and that I have no excuse for doing so. But I can make this up to you. After the finale of volume 2, I'm going to write a bunch of chapters that take place in between vol 2 and vol 3. And each of those chapters will be posted every other weekend. So, yeah, I' making an upload schedule. Again, I'm sorry for the long wait, but I promise that my uploads will be more consistent from now on.

Now, onto some exciting news. This weekend, I will have my own booth selling artwork at a convention called the FanExpo in Dallas, TX. I'll be in the artist gallery at booth A10, so if any of ya'll can go to the Expo, make sure to stop by my booth. It would be cool to meet some of you, if any of you decide to go that is. I'll be there Saturday and Sunday with a couple of friends. Hope to see some of ya'll there!

Vector Convoy out!


	17. Chapter 19

Chapter 16

Secret's Out

While Megatron and Yang were recuperating, our other heroes had managed to get onto the train just in time.

"Hurry everyone! We must get to the front and stop this train!" Oobleck said with utmost urgency.

"Uh, professor?" Weiss interjected, holding open a panel on the roof of the train car, "What's that?"

"That my dear, appears to be a bomb," Oobleck answered rather calmly, to which everyone cautiously took a step back.

However, they had other problems to worry about at the moment.

"We've got baddies!" Ruby said, pointing to a group of faunus walking towards them.

"Weapons ready everyone!" Prime ordered, "And don't think they'll go easy on…"

*Beep*

"…us…"

The bomb's timer had already started counting down. The group only had a few seconds before it went off, so they had to act quickly.

"Time to go!" Oobleck said as everyone jumped to the train car in front of them.

"Blake, I need you to detach the caboose!" Optimus said, Blake nodded in response.

She jumped down and prepared to swing her blade at the coupling. However, before she could break it loose, the car detached itself automatically.

"It decoupled itself!" Blake alerted the others.

"What!?" Oobleck and Optimus questioned simultaneously.

The train car then exploded, blowing open a hole to the surface.

"That's not good…" Oobleck said.

"Neither is this!" Ruby shouted as she revealed another bomb.

Oobleck then had a thought. He dashed over to the next train car and lifted up one of the panels on the roof, hoping to disprove his suspicions. Unfortunately, his worried thoughts were correct as he revealed yet another bomb.

"THEY ALL HAVE BOMBS!"

The train car that the others were standing on then decoupled as well. Luckily everyone made it to the next car just before it exploded. The situation would only get worse from there, however, as Optimus looked ahead to see that the faunus were closing in on everyone.

"Stay sharp everyone, we've got trouble," he said.

Everyone stood with their weapons ready. Well, everyone except Ruby. But Optimus had a feeling that she could still handle this.

"What should I do Optimus?" Ruby asked, a little uncertain about the situation.

"Well, I haven't been teaching you hand-to-hand combat for nothing. Don't worry, you can handle this."

Ruby nodded and a confident grin formed on her face. She used her semblance to dash to the small squadron of faunus and started her assault. She came to a halt in front of one of them, reeled her fist back, and jabbed him in the stomach. To both the faunus' and Ruby's surprise, it was a fairly strong punch. She then followed that up with a roundhouse kick to the face, knocking him out. With the aid of her semblance, Ruby swiftly knocked several more faunus off the train using a flurry of punches and kicks.

"Come on, let's giver her a hand," Prime said before they all charged onto battle.

Blake sprinted into the middle of a group of thugs that separated themselves from the rest and slashed her blades directly at their chests. While their auras kept her blades from inflicting any fatal wounds, they didn't protect them from flying off the train car. Weiss used her glyphs to propel herself forward, leaving a trail of ice spikes which covered the entire surface of the roof of the car. Multiple faunus either jumped off the train or were pushed off by the ice. Optimus flew at the faunus, but quickly spun in a 360, using his wings to push them off the car. A few other faunus ran at him, but he blasted them away with a single shot from his left cannon.

While the others were fighting the White Fang, Oobleck took notice of the last train car that exploded. It blew open a hole to the surface, causing swarms of very big and angry grimm.

"He's leading grimm into the city!" Oobleck shouted.

"Not just grimm!" Optimus added as he noticed the swarm of Terrorcons from earlier running past the grimm.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Ruby groaned.

The Terrorcons were quickly gaining on them. They had little time to act, they had to think if something quick.

"Optimus, Doctor, any ideas?" Blake asked.

Just as Optimus was about think of a plan, a loud explosion distracted his thoughts.

"Uh, was that another train car?" Ruby questioned.

"No, no I don't think so," Oobleck replied.

"Then what is it?" Weiss asked.

Suddenly, out from the darkness of the tunnel, a barrage of purple laser-fire swept across the swarm of Terrorcons and grimm, eradicating a majority of them. Once the barrage ceased, a large green and white aircraft emerged from the smoke of the explosions and was flying straight towards the train at high speeds.

"Oh slag!" Prime exclaimed, recognizing the vessel, "How is he even here!?"

"Wait, you know the pilot of that ship?" Weiss asked a bit worried.

"That's no ship Weiss. That's…"

" _TIDAL WAVE_ "

To everyone's utter bewilderment, the ship began to change shape! The thrusters on its sides extended outward and back, and rotated 180 degrees. Next, the nose of the craft folded downward, forming what looked like a pair of arms. Finally, a massive head with a stone-cold, emotionless face extended from its chest. This ship had just turned into a massive titan robot.

'How am I gonna explain this,' Prime thought.

Neither team RWBY nor Oobleck had ever seen anything like this. The mere sight of this metal beast left them stunned. The titan finally caught up to the train and flew beside the car that they were standing on. Optimus aimed both his cannons at the large bot, ready to fire, as did the resto of the group with their weapons.

"Tidal Wave… Tidal Wave…" the titan said.

"What are you doing here Tidal Wave?" Prime shouted, demanding an answer.

"How do you even know who or _what_ this thing is?" Blake asked, extremely confused.

"I'll have to explain later, right now, you need to give us an answer Tidal Wave."

"Megatron summoned a copy of Tidal Wave. I merely retain the original's memories and abilities. Megatron wanted me to aid you, and whatever order my master gives, I must obey."

"Fine. We could actually use your help," Optimus said, lowering his cannons, "We need you to fly ahead and stop this train."

"For the glory of Megatron!" Tidal Wave exclaimed before making his way to the front of the train.

"Optimus, you have a lot of explaining to do once this is over," Oobleck said sternly, "but for now we should focus on the task at hand. Blake and I will disable the bombs. The rest of you, get to the front of the train and see if you can't stop it in case Tidal Wave can't."

"Yes sir!" Optimus said before he, Ruby, and Weiss jumped down in between the train cars.

Optimus had to disable his super mode so that he could fit inside, making him weaker than normal, though not by much.

"Alright everyone, this is what we can do this. We've been training for months, so it's time to put our skills to the test," Optimus encouraged.

"Don't think you can weasel your way out of giving us an explanation to all this," Weiss snapped.

"I wouldn't dream of it Ice Queen," Optimus replied, to which Weiss rolled her eyes in response.

Just as the group started running ahead to the next car, a fairly short girl with pink and brown hair, wielding an umbrella, blocked their path. It was the same girl (named Neo) who was with Roman the night Shockblast appeared.

"I'll handle this one," Optimus said, pulling out his sword, "the rest of you, get to the front."

The others sprinted to the door while Optimus approached Neo. Despite her being a foot or two shorter than him, Optimus knew not to underestimate her.

"We don't have to fight each other," Optimus said, sheathing his sword, "join us and help us end this."

Optimus extended his hand to her, hoping that she would except his offer. Neo looked down at his hand with a raised eyebrow. She was a little surprised by this, seeing as how this had never happened before. Normally, she'd already killed her enemies before they could say much to her.

"I take that as a no then," Optimus assumed.

Neo took a step back, opened her umbrella and put it over her shoulder. and Optimus drew his sword again and pointed it at Neo, getting ready to attack. He dashed to her and prepared to swing his sword, but Neo prevented this by jabbing him in the stomach, causing him to stumble back.

"That was a cheap shot," prime said before he quickly recovered.

He charged again and attempted to slash and swipe at Neo multiple times. However, with each slash, Neo kept dodging them ever so gracefully. Optimus then decided to be a bit blunter as he sheathed his sword and tried punching her. Neo closed her umbrella and blocked his attacks. Neo then switched to the offensive and tried kicking Optimus in the face, however he grabbed her leg before it made impact and threw her into the wall. But as soon as she made impact, her body shattered into glass shards.

"What?"

Neo then appeared behind Optimus and kicked him in the back, knocking him to the floor.

"Agh, this is gonna be harder than I thought," Optimus grunted.

(…)

Inside the following train car, Weiss and Ruby were on their way to the engine, but it would appear that another obstacle stood in their way. A very large, muscular faunus wearing a mask covering his whole face and wielding a massive chainsaw.

"You go on ahead," Weiss said, knowing that Ruby didn't have a weapon.

Ruby used her semblance to zoom passed the faunus. He tried to grab her, but Weiss fired a fire-blast from her weapon at him, knocking him back slightly. Weiss then dashed towards him, but he was more than ready. He swung his chainsaw down at her, but Weiss blocked it with her weapon and backflipped to get some distance between herself and him. She then Swung her sword and jabbed it at him multiple times. He blocked most of her strikes with his chainsaw, but Weiss was too quick. Her last attack forced him to the ground, slightly angering him.

"Finally, I get to kill a Schnee," he said, getting back up.

Weiss pointed her sword at him, prepared to win this fight no matter what.

(…)

Meanwhile, Ruby had nearly made it to the front of the train, but she too had a bit of a problem to deal with.

"Hello Red, been a while," roman said, twirling his cane in his hand, "Where's your oversized garden tool?"

"It's a long story," Ruby replied, putting her fists up.

Ruby ran at him and aimed her fist at his face, but he dodged the punch and tripped her up with his cane. Before Ruby could hit the ground, though, Roman fired a blast from the bottom of his cane onto her torso, sending her flying into a wall.

"C'mon Little Red, surely you can do better than that," Roman taunted.

Ruby couldn't give up now. If she did, then everything she and her team have worked for would be for nothing. She used her semblance to get behind Roman, catching him off guard, and knocked him forward with a spinning kick to his back. After Roman got back up, Ruby quickly came back to his front and elbowed him in the stomach, followed by an upward kick to his face, knocking him unconscious.

"How's that for better," Ruby smirked before heading to the control room of the train.

Unfortunately, the entire control panel was smashed to bits.

"Uh oh…" Ruby said, sweating nervously.

Just as all hope seemed lost, Ruby saw a massive green and white titan from the window flying in front of the train. It was Tidal Wave!

"Brace yourself!" he shouted at Ruby as he landed a few meters in front of the train with his arms stretched out.

It looked like he was going to stop the train himself! Ruby strapped herself into one of the seats and hoped for the best as the train came closer to tidal wave. The titan planted feet and firmed his stance. The train slammed itself into his body, pushing him as it kept moving. Tidal Wave pressed his body against the speeding locomotive and dug his feet into the ground, trying to slow it down. But no matter how much force he exerted the train kept going. Realizing that the train wasn't going to stop, Ruby ran back to warn the others

The sudden stop of the train interrupted Optimus' fight with Neo, and the same went for Weiss and the faunus she was fighting. Seeing this as an opportunity to gain the upper hand, Optimus dashed at Neo and jabbed her in the stomach. He then clenched his hands together and swung them into Neo's face, sending her flying into a wall. She tried to get up, but couldn't muster enough strength to do so.

"Stay down," Prime said as he went to the train car ahead of him to assist Weiss.

To his surprise, Weiss appeared to be shredding her opponent. Weiss activated her time dilation glyph to speed up her next attack. She then used her standard glyphs to surround the faunus and used them as platforms. She continuously propelled herself at the chainsaw wielding brute and used her sword to slash at his body. She was moving so quickly, all Optimus could see was a white blur. She managed to get him up in the air, and slammed him down back to the ground. Weiss attempted to impale his chest, but he rolled out of the way in time. Weiss leapt into the air, intending to continue her assault, but the faunus grabbed her face and slammed her into the floor.

"Weiss!" Optimus shouted before rushing to her rescue.

The faunus threw her into the air and tried to slice her in two with his chainsaw. Luckily, Optimus got in between them just in time. He grabbed the saw in his hand, shocking the thug.

"The hell!?" he gasped before Optimus threw the saw away and hit him with an uppercut followed by an elbow to the stomach, rendering him incapacitated.

"Weiss, are you alright?" Optimus asked in a concerned voice as he pulled her to her feet.

"Let's just say I'm going to have a headache all week," Weiss replied.

"You'll be fine. Now let's go help Ruby."

Though it seemed that they didn't need to go any further as Ruby ran through the door in front of them. She looked incredibly tense, with a highly nervous expression on her face.

"THE TRAIN'S NOT STOPPING!" she exclaimed.

"Primus, both of you, follow me. We're going back to get Oobleck and Blake!" Optimus said as he and the others ran back out in between the train cars.

They made their way back to the top of the cars where Blake was doing her best to fend off a squadron of paladins. Oobleck and Zwei, however, were nowhere to be found. One of the paladins swung its massive fist down onto Blake, but she used her semblance to create an ice copy of herself and trap its hand in it. Noticing her teammates, Blake sprinted over to them while the paladins were distracted.

"This train isn't stopping anytime soon," Optimus explained.

"What do we do?" Blake questioned.

An idea then popped into Weiss' head, "Stay close and hang on!" she shouted.

She formed a large glyph beneath everyone and used her sword to create and ice barrier around everyone. They all braced themselves as the train, along with Tidal Wave slammed into the wall at incredibly high speeds. Everyone went unconscious for several minutes after the impact. Everyone felt a loud ringing in their ears when the came to. They all were filled with a sense of dread once they realized where they were. Optimus and Team RWBY were smack-dab in the center of Vale, with a giant hole in town square for all sorts of Grimm and Terrorcons to come through.

"Oh… no…" Optimus said in horror as he saw all the people in the area.

Suddenly, a King Taijitu erupted from the hole they came through, as well as a swarm of Beowolves, Boarbatusks, and Terrorcons. Civilians ran in terror and scattered about the city as the grimm and Terrorcons chased after them.

"On your feet everyone, the fight is just starting," Optimus said.

"Uh, Optimus, I know I've gotten better at hand-to-hand, but I can't fight an _Ursa_ with my fists," Ruby pointed out.

"Then it's a good thing I brought this," Optimus then reached into his backpack and pulled out a red and white sniper-rifle.

It closely resembled Ruby's Crescent Rose, but with a few minor tweaks. He pressed a button on the side of it, causing it to transform into a massive scythe. It was twice the height of Optimus, with the blade being curved dornwards towards the front, and attached to the handle on a circular turntable. Optimus then pressed another button on the handle which rotated the blade upwards. The blade then split in two and both sides extended, forming an axe with a cannon in between.

"May I present Crescent Rose Full Bloom!"

Ruby squealed joyfully as she snatched her new weapon from Optimus' hands.

" _I LOVE IT!_ " Ruby screamed.

"Good, cause we're gonna need all the firepower we can get for this. Optimus, SUPER MODE!"

(…)

Meanwhile back at Beacon, Team JNPR was currently boarding their airship for their mission.

"This is gonna be so much _fun_!" Nora exclaimed, clearly excited for the mission, Ren silently agreed.

On the other hand, Jaune was not as excited as his team.

"Is something wrong Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, noticing a slightly worried expression on her leader's face.

"I don't know," Jaune replied, "I just… I have a bad feeling."

"About what?" Ren asked.

"I don't know. It just feels like something bad is about to happen."

"Oh, don't be such a worry-wuss," Nora teased, "it's not like a scary monster is gonna show up out of nowhere and devour our souls!"

And as fate would have kt, an ominous red portal opened up mere feet behind them, causing them all to jump out of their skin.

"I was only joking!" Nora said, regretting her choice of words from earlier.

Fortunately, the monster that came through wasn't going to eat their souls, nor was it really a monster. It was Yang, trying to keep a very exhausted looking Megatron on his feet. JNPR calmed themselves upon seeing the faces of their comrades.

"What happened to you two?" Pyrrha questioned.

"I'll explain later," Megatron said, standing up strait, "right now we have to get to the city before-"

Megatron was interrupted by loud sirens blaring from the city. It was a grimm attack.

"-that."

"That means Ruby's already in the city! We have to hurry!"

"Into the ship, _now!_ " Megatron barked as he, Yang and the others boarded the ship.

"Megatron, what's happening, why's Ruby in the city, how did you-"

Megatron swiftly answered Jaune's frantic questioning, "Grimm attack, runaway train, I'm a giant robot from space!"

"Ok, ok. I got it," Jaune responded.

It took him a minute to process that last piece of info.

"I'm sorry, what?"


End file.
